A Different Kind of Brotherly Love
by RamenNoodlesXD
Summary: As far as Mikey could remember, there has always been sexual tension between Leo and Raph. Beware- there's turtlecest, more genres than humor and romance, crude language, and silly/sexual situations. Read at your own risk!
1. Chapter 1

**A Different Kind of Brotherly Love**

**A little story written by:** Ramen

**Disclaimer: **… Do I really have to tell you that I don't own Ninja Turtles, and that Peter Laird/Mirage/whoever the hell else owns it, and not me? … Oh wait, I just did!

**Warning: **Major turtlecest- if you're not into that kind of stuff, then get the heck out while you still can. Also there is, crude language sprinkled here and there, and general silly-ness.

**Author's Note: **I'm back! *Crickets chirp* … Erm, anyway, enjoy the story- and if I don't update this one, I apologize in advance. School (algebra, specifically) tends to make me forget about a lot of things, so…

* * *

_Chapter One: Mikey the Big Orange Chicken_

As far as Mikey could remember, there has always been sexual tension between Leonardo and Raphael.

Of course, that notion might sound completely preposterous to people who actually _knew _Raph and Leo, and their habit of arguing constantly with each other (which wasn't really hard to miss, considering that they had the subtlety of a train wreck when it came to those _very_ constant arguments).

As it turns out, Mikey is not the only one who has noticed this little, dare he say, _incestuous_ fact.

Donny had caught onto it ages ago, at the tender age of nine and a half years old (thanks to his private stash of shonen-ai manga cleverly hidden in a secret compartment in his desk drawer- don't ask) whereas it took Mikey fifteen and a half years of existence to educate himself in the ways of homosexuality, incest, and teenage hormones (thanks to his very own private stash of shonen-ai manga mixed into his numerous stacks of comic books- Mikey was a very _curious_ teen indeed).

So basically, the only people that were blissfully unaware of this strange phenomena were the subjects of the matter themselves, and an old, decrepit rat (sorry Master Splinter) who probably would not even know what romance was if soap operas did not come into existence.

But, I digress.

When one sees sexual tension, what does one do? Plot carefully, of course. Come up with a subtle, refined idea that will bring those two _clueless_ idiots together.

When one Mikey sees sexual tension, what does one Mikey do? Leap right into a plan without even thinking through it, consequences be damned.

Oh dear.

* * *

"Hey, Leo!" Funny how two innocent little words could spark so many ungodly events.

Leo raised an eye ridge, and turned away from his book at the sound of his younger brother's _suspiciously _chipper voice.

"Uh… hi, Mikey."

Oh poor, poor Leo… He should have ran away while he could.

"I'm AWARE of a VERY subtle FACT, brother mine," Mikey began, proudly noting how discreet he was about the whole thing. "That YOU and a certain SOMEONE… whohappenstoweararedmask..." he paused to take a deep, deep breath for the next part, "… are suffering under extreme sexual tension by a means of some strange sort of argument-based foreplay." [1]

…Okay, so he had chickened out, but… really, how the hell are you supposed to ask your older brother about this sort of shit?

"Mikey," Leo intervened, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if talking to an unruly child (which, in fact, was not very far from the truth). "Could you _repeat_ that? The only words I heard were 'argument-based' and 'foreplay'." The last part of the sentence made Leo's cheeks turn dark green- a turtle equivalent of a blush. What the hell had Mikey been _talking_ about? Did he even want to know?

The color drained from Mikey's face (very noticeable, considering sea-foam green is significantly different from pale white), and sweat formed in tiny, nervous beads on his forehead.

"Um, w-well, I said… Th-the thing is, I-I was gonna tell you that you and Raph are-" he paused mid-sentence, the words dying in his throat before he could even get them out. Now, Leo just looked outright annoyed; his arms were crossed, eyes narrowed into impatient slits. "That Raph and I are _what_?"

A few seconds of awkward silence later, salvation came to Mikey in the unexpected form of Donatello, whose appearance was overly-convenient despite the circumstances. But hey, who really gave a rat's a-

"Hey, Mikey, could you help me with something for a minute?" the genius requested in a polite, yet hurried, tone, barely breaking his stride as he trudged past them with a heavy-looking cardboard box in his arms.

"We-ll Leo, looks like I'll have to tell you _later, _because as you can see, our dear Donatello needs my help," Mikey laughed nervously, mentally thanking the gods and any other deity out there while he quickly scurried after Donatello's retreating figure.

'Strange. But then again, when is Mikey ever _not_ strange?' Leo mused, putting a three-fingered hand to his chin in thought.

What was that about him and Raph? Maybe... did Mikey think that…? 'No, no way… He couldn't possibly… could he?' he shook his head before he could even _dare_ finish that thought.

Still, something was off about this whole thing, and as leader, he decided that he was going to find out exactly _what _that something was, whether Mikey wanted him to or not.

* * *

[1] Okay, Mikey's rant was originally supposed to have no spaces between the words like the previous line he uttered, but unfortunately, the editing system was being a butthole, and wouldn't let me put it in unless it had spaces, so... Just pretend it _doesn't_ okay?

Is it me, or does the chapter title remind anyone of that one Chinese dish..?

ANYWAY, sorry for the shortness- I swear that I'll try to make it longer next chapter. If it's not too much trouble, could you pretty please with sugar on top press that little button down there that says "review"? If there's no feedback, I'm afraid I will not be motivated, so there will be less chances of me continuing this, sorry to say.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Different Kind of Brotherly Love**

**By: **Ramen

**Disclaimer: **If this was an alternate universe, I _might_ have owned TMNT, but… this is reality, and it is owned by Peter Laird/Mirage/Nickelodeon or whoever the hell owns it!

**Warning: **Lots of turtlecest- if you're incest-phobic, homophobic, or turtle-phobic, then I suggest you click the back button right now before you start complaining to me about making you read "bad literature". Please and thank you! Also, this story contains crude language, and sexual/silly situations. Please read at your own risk as well.

**Author's Note:** Well well well, here I am again! *Crickets again* ... I'm sorry you guys had to wait a while, but as promised, here's another chapter! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed- I greatly appreciate the support, and also, if you could give constructive criticism, that'd be nice, too!

* * *

_Chapter Two: Can You Feel the Incest Love Tonight?_

Mikey sighed with obvious relief, reveling in the feeling of escaping a close call as the door of Donny's room slammed shut behind them. He opened his mouth to voice his gratitude to Donny for saving his hide once more, but something in the tense silence of the room told him to do otherwise and keep his mouth shut.

As it turns out, the tense silence was right.

"Mikey… What the hell was that?" Donatello hissed, his voice dripping with venom as he whirled around and directed an angry death glare upon his rather unfortunate younger brother.

The room suddenly felt forty degrees colder.

"N-Now Donny, we're only supposed to say _shell,_ remember?"Mikey stammered, chuckling weakly and hoping that the censorship excuse would save his ass again.

Alas, it did not.

"Screw the damn censorship, Mikey; we're not even on air anymore!" This particular outburst was accentuated with the frightening sound of Donny's open palm slapping the surface of his work table, making several papers and articles scatter haphazardly, and almost resulting in Mikey pissing his pants- _almost. _[1]

"What I saw out there was a PATHETIC- I repeat, PATHETIC attempt at matchmaking!" If this moment were in anime form, there would no doubt be flames of rage surrounding Donny's body right now.

"I mean, REALLY, how could you even _possibly_ be related to me? Do you have any semblance of a brain in that hollow head of yours? Normally, I would let your foolishness slide, but THIS is just too damn much! AND WHY THE HELL IS YOUR BANDANA CROOKED _AGAIN_? If I had a PENNY for every time that bandana is-!"

Meanwhile, during Donny's scary 'scarier-than-a-PMSing-girl' rant, the only thought that had been floating around in Mikey's brain was, "Who the hell is this imposter, and what have they done with sweet, sensitive, and _quiet_ Donatello?"

"But my POINT is," Here, Donny took a deep breath, before concluding, "Mikey... _you need to come up with a better strategy!" _This dramatic declaration was accompanied with an equally dramatic green finger thrust right into Mikey's face.

"… Huh?" Was the orange-masked turtle's intelligent response, along with a confused tilt of the head.

"…" The older of the two sighed in an irritated manner, his arm falling back to its previous position at his side; this was when the pacing began.

Mikey knew better than to interrupt his older brother's thought process (especially after that uncharacteristic tirade that occurred a mere thirty seconds earlier), so he decided to stay quiet for once.

Maybe it was the boredom; maybe it was the fact that he was a very "visually-oriented" turtle, but somehow, during the course of this silent period, Mikey found himself staring intently at Donny's body, his eyes raking up and down the length of it, tracing the contours of the hard muscles and the toned thighs that made up his older brother's physique.

'How _does_ Donny manage it?' Mikey thought idly to himself, fooling around with the tail ends of his bandana. Last time he checked, a person (or turtle, for that matter) didn't get buff from just sitting around in their room all day, tinkering around with experiments while chugging down gallons of coffee and barely getting two hours of sleep every night. Sometimes, Donny even _skipped_ training altogether in favor of "putting the finishing touches" on an experiment of his. Yet, he could still keep up with the rest of them, and he still managed to maintain his body _quite well_ while keeping his research and studies up at the same time.

Absentmindedly, Mikey remembered their last training session (yesterday, if he recalled correctly), and how strangely _enticing _his genius brother had looked at one moment, with sweat slowly trailing down his rich, olive-toned skin, and also how ravishing he was when his mouth was slightly open after a particularly brutal session, releasing harsh pants that almost sounded like-

Whoa whoa _wait,_ back the shell up- what was he even thinking for crissakes?

'Holy shi- is this _whole family _incestuous or something?' Mikey thought, his expression displaying the sheer and utter horror he was feeling at that moment. No, damnit, he did NOT have sexual feelings for Donny. Did NOT.

He shook his head, 'Focus Mikey, focus! This is about Leo and Raph, not Donny! All of the implied incest between them combined with normal teenage hormones is just getting to your head, that's all!' It was a ridiculous idea, anyway- Don would never, ever, EVER in a million years return Mikey's strange and sudden feelings… would he?

"Mikey, I think I got it!" Donny announced, randomly pointing his finger in the air and bearing a manic grin that would put the maddest of scientists to shame. The grin quickly faded, however, when he saw that Mikey's face looked terrifyingly blank; his eyes looked as if they were staring at something that only he could see, and he seemed to be drowning in his own, apparently troubled, thoughts.

Donny stretched forward to take a closer look at him, an expression of concern plastered on his own face.

"Mikey?" No answer, not even a blink to indicate he even heard him. "Mikey, what's wr-"

"I'M NOT THINKING OF MOLESTING YOU AT ALL!" Mikey blurted out rather loudly, eyes wide as he backed five feet away from Donny with a look of utter horror on his face.

"… _What_?"

* * *

[1] Yes, I am well aware turtles don't have pants. Don't start thinking that I'm stupid now, you hear?

Okay, I know what you're thinking right now: WHAT THE HELL, WHY DID YOU HAVE A CLIFFHANGER AFTER NOT UPDATING SO LONG, DOUCHE FACE?

Um, well, it's just that… I HAVE… *Dramatic pause* Writer's Block! *Sobs* It's terrible! And school work isn't helping either, so it might take me even longer to update Chapter Three!

And yeah, I know Donatello is terribly OOC in here, but, in my defense, I've been thoroughly influenced by countless manga/anime.

Yes, I promise (gosh, I oughta stop making promises...) the chapters will start getting better, and I might even revise Chapter One or Two, but it might take me a while, so… I'm terribly sorry, but I probably won't update soon!

Thank you again for your reviews, guys! Could all you readers please give me suggestions? Any kind of suggestion will do, in fact, any kind of review would be appreciated, even if it's just to say "this is good" or "hot" or whatever- yes, I'm well aware that I am a review-hoarder, and I apologize for bothering you all.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Different Kind of Brotherly Love**

**By:** Ramen

**Disclaimer:** If I owned TMNT, would I be writing fanfics about them gettin' jiggy (ahem, not really) with each other? If you answered yes, then you have serious issues, my friend. I have **never** seen a turtlecestilicious (maaan that could so be a word) fanfic by Peter Laird, Mirage, or Nickelodeon, and to be perfectly honest, I don't think I ever will. Oh, and I also don't own Twilight, pizza, or anything else that sounds familiar. Please don't sue me.

**Warning: **Side effects of reading this story are vomiting, nausea, hitting random objects in anger, and sobbing like a little girl- _if_ you are homophobic or incest-phobic- heck, even if you're turtle-phobic!. If so, please turn back now, or else I will be held responsible for those side effects. And I don't want to be.

**Author's Note: **Nothing much to say here, really. Well, actually, that's kind of a lie- I have a few things to say before starting this story. Thank you so much to every single reader out there- I _know_ it's very tedious to leave reviews, and I _know_ I'm starting to sound like a desperate sap, but could you, um, leave me suggestions, comments… anything, really! I even accept constructive criticism!

Also, thank you to _CelticViking _for submitting an interesting idea- I'll see what I can do about that, because it sounds like a really awesome plot twist! I'll probably incorporate that later in the story, but not right away, you know what I'm saying?

While I'm at it, I should take the time to thank the other reviewers, too: _Eridani23, HatexLovexo, dondena, _and_ Poisoned Dark Angel_- you guys rock!

* * *

_Chapter Three: What Goes On Behind Closed Doors_

The shit pretty much _catapulted _itself into the fan after that awkward little outburst. Mikey's mouth had a habit of landing him in all sorts of trouble, but… seriously, what the hell was he _thinking,_ if he was even thinking at all?

"I-I can _totally_ explain, Donny!" Mikey blurted out hastily, his baby blue eyes comically wide with shock.

"_Explain_ then, Mikey!" Donny coaxed- apparently, this was as shocking to him as it was to Mikey, as expected. And as usual, when he was shocked by something, Donny yearned for an explanation like a dehydrated man yearned for water.

Did Mikey have a _crush_ on him? Surely Donny was the most uninteresting one out of his brothers- he would have thought that Leo, or maybe even _Raph_ would be a more suitable candidate for Mikey's unexpected affections. Speaking of Leo and Raph, weren't they just discussing those two earlier? Since when did their conversation turn into _this_? All these thoughts passed through Donny's brain like a slideshow, and it was starting to sound like the script of a bad nine in the evening soap opera.

Meanwhile, Mikey thought over this carefully; one wrong move and he'd be done for. He could blame it on teenage hormones- that always seemed to work in scenarios like these. The problem was… would Donny be convinced? As far as Mikey was concerned, his brother might think of him as a horny creeper who secretly fantasized about him in the middle of the night;_ that_ was sure to make things awkward at the dinner table.

To make matters worse, it seemed like Mikey couldn't get himself to talk- the words were on his mind, his lips just weren't cooperating. The silence was turning painfully uncomfortable, and Mikey knew that his hesitation was rousing Donny's already-raised suspicions.

Throwing caution to the wind, Mikey opened his mouth to speak.

"W-Well, Donny," he began shakily, mentally cringing at what he was about to say, "whenever a guy mutant turtle reaches _that _stage in his life, his crazy mutant turtle hormones tend to make him, y'know, _fantasize_ things a-about… stuff. Stuff that he can't help but think about, because he's very, um, _troubled, _and well, I've started to notice that you're very… awesome (sexy as hell), and even though I've, like, known you for all my life as my brother, I can't help but…" And Mikey chose that moment to stop his idiotic ranting before he ended up freaking Donny out more than he already had.

Dear Lord, confessing like this was so _unnerving-_ he missed the days when, instead of noticing how hot his older brother was, his main concerns were pizza, video games, comics, and, well… pizza (which is really not as different as it is right now- there was just an added bonus of typical hormonal awkwardness added to it).

While Mikey was absorbed in his own troubled thoughts, Donny was silent, processing all this information in his head. Innocent little Mikey was harboring sexual feelings for him? This was way too much to take in- he remembered _bathing_ with him when they were kids, for crying out loud! Back then, things were significantly less complicated then they are right now, and at this very moment, Donny wished that he could somehow rewind his life to _those_ earlier days.

But, of course, this was reality, and, unless Donny magically had the ability to pull a time machine out of his ass, there was no way of avoiding this stifling, awkward moment.

"Mikey, I… I don't know what to say, really," he blurted out pathetically- inside, he cursed himself to the depths of hell for sounding like Bella from Twilight. Now _that_ was a thought that scared him.

Meanwhile, Mikey was feeling utterly crushed- and even that was an understatement. But really, what was he expecting? To have Donny completely accept the fact that his younger brother was lusting after him and, God forbid, actually _return_ his feelings like it was that easy?

No- Mikey had to be strong, both for his sake and for Donny's. That way, this would all be said and done, and they could put this all behind them and agree never to talk about it ever again for the rest of their natural, reptilian lives.

"Donny, I… I-I want…" Mikey hesitated one more; no, he couldn't do this, he couldn't, this was too much and- "… chocolate-covered pickles, dude! Let's go make some right now!" Okay, so…. he really _was_ a coward, as he established previously, but at least he wasn't an _unimaginative_ coward. Come to think of it, chocolate-covered pickles _did_ sound great right now…

"Mikey…" And at the precise moment, Donny whipped out his Bo staff and whacked Mikey in the head with it (Whack-a-Mole, Mutant Turtle Edition™).

"OW! Holy shi-!" Mikey's curse was cut off as he stumbled backwards, eventually losing his balance and tumbling shell-first on the cold concrete floor. The orange-masked turtle hissed in pain and attempted to sit up, but he could only wobble around on his shell like some helpless hatchling, much to his embarrassment.

"This is serious, Mikey!" Donny scolded, holding his hand out to help his younger brother get up from his degrading position. His hard gaze softened, however, when he saw how much pain Mikey was in. Okay, _maybe_ he shouldn't have hit him that hard…

"Jeez Donny, I can't believe you! That thing is harder _and_ thicker than it looks, you know!" Mikey whined, rubbing his head with an exaggerated groan. "Owwww, it hurts… Next time, _warn_ me before you do that!" he huffed.

"Harder and thicker than it looks? Making fun of a guy's weapon really hurts his pride, you know!" Donny snorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I dare you to say something pickle-related _now_, Mikey!"

Mikey opened his mouth to deliver a scathing retort, but before he could, the door slid open with a loud bang, and Leo stepped in, his eyes wide and face stained dark green.

There was a pregnant pause; Mikey and Donny turned away from each other to look at Leo in astonishment, whilst the blue-masked turtle appeared to do a double-take.

"Wait- y-you guys weren't… _Doing_ anything, were you?" Leo asked sheepishly, looking very much like the dog who had just taken a dump on a _very_ expensive carpet.

It took all but five seconds for both of them to figure out the hidden meaning in Leo's question.

"We weren't doing anything-!"

"I swear, it wasn't like that-!"

The two blurted out simultaneously, now sporting dark green blushes of their own as they frantically tried to explain the situation.

After they did so, it was Leo's turn to be embarrassed. "…Oh." Was all he could say in reply, his blush even more prominent than before.

Another pregnant pause ensued.

Leo cleared his throat and straightened up, trying to look as stern and intimidating as possible, before turning to Mikey.

"Before we were interrupted earlier," he shot a withering look at Donny, who cringed sheepishly, then turned back to Mikey "what were you going to tell me?" His dark brown eyes gazed intensely into Mikey's baby blue ones. Might as well be blunt with it- Leo knew beating around the bush with his little brother wasn't a good idea.

Mikey broke out into a nervous sweat. Crap- he _knew _that that close call earlier was too good to be true! He glanced pleadingly at Donny, mentally begging his older brother to somehow save him again, but for once, the braniac was stumped.

"Oh screw it all," Mikey mumbled to himself. The charade was up- he might as well just confess now instead of running and getting cornered later. "Leo, you and Raph…" _need to go and get laid… with each other,_ was what Mikey was going to say, but before he even got the words out, _another_ voice interrupted him.

"Ah, my sons, _there _you are!" Master Splinter's raspy voice floated into the room, along with the consistent tap of his cane, as the old rat walked in, looking very pleased to find his sons 'spending quality time' with each other.

At that moment, Mikey almost ran up to the ancient ninjitsu master and bear-hugged him- maybe God didn't hate him after all!

Meanwhile, Leo looked as if he wanted to disembowel somebody, but he wouldn't dare do anything when Master Splinter was there. So instead, the blue-masked turtle opted to bow respectfully to him in greeting, while Mikey and Donny did the same.

Master Splinter paused for a moment, his eyes narrowed in thought, as if he was trying to remember why he was looking for his sons in the first place. After a few seconds, his face lit up, indicating that he now remembered the reason.

"Leonardo, I wish to speak with you in private. Please, come with me to my room," the old rat ordered, before turning around and walking back to where he came from.

As Leo reluctantly started to follow his father, Mikey took advantage of the opportunity to run away while he still had the chance.

"Well, I've got comics to read and RPG's to play, see ya later bro!" he said in farewell, dashing out of Donny's room like his ass was on fire.

"Wait, Mikey!" But Donny's call was too late- Mikey had already run into his own room.

With a defeated sigh, he plopped down into his computer chair, staring at the bright light emanating from the computer screen. The multi-colored 'Google' logo stared back at him. After a few moments of indecisive thinking, he gave a tiny noise of frustration and typed in "How to Deal with Incest"… [1]

* * *

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Master Splinter?" Leo asked, struggling to keep his voice polite and casual. He was still pissed off about Mikey getting away _again_- the next person who interrupted them was going to get a brick shoved up their ass, regardless of who it may be.

"I can see that there is frustration building inside you, my son." Master Splinter commented, looking amused when Leo's expression instantly turned guilty.

"I'm sorry, Master Splinter, but Mikey was…" in the midst of Leo's hasty apology, Master Splinter interrupted him curiously.

"Michelangelo? I thought your irritation was brought upon by Raphael," Master Splinter didn't mean it in an offensive way, and Leo knew that almost by instinct- his and Raph's fights weren't exactly _rare_, so to speak.

"Well, I _think_ this is mostly about him, so I guess it was technically Raph who frustrated me…" Leo paused, and Master Splinter stayed quiet, silently nodding as a signal for him to continue.

"It all started when Mikey went up to me this morning and…" he began, explaining everything that had happened up to this point. Obviously, he left out the 'foreplay' bit, and also his perverted assumptions about what was going on behind Donny's closed door; he took advantage of the saying "Don't ask, don't tell" when it came to explaining his problems to Master Splinter.

At the end of his tale, there was a lengthy period of silence. Leo waited patiently as Master Splinter took a moment to process all the information that was given to him.

After a few moments, the old rat broke the lull and said, "So, Michelangelo is saying that there is some sort of… _odd _tension between you and Raphael?"

"I… guess so." Leo agreed uncertainly, sounding as if he was helping Master Splinter decipher some sort of nearly-impossible code. Wasn't the tension between him and Raph already obvious? Leo was convinced that they had argued with each other for all of their lives, even when they were still _embryos_.

One would think that, over time, the two brothers would mature and understand each other well enough to stop going at each other's throats every other day- but alas, it only became worse as the years went by. All four of them were growing up, gaining their own independent views of what was right, wrong, and reasonable; it just so happened that Leo and Raph argued about their opposing viewpoints more than they argued with Mikey and Donny.

The heart of the matter was, Leo thought that Raph was a stubborn ass who needed to learn a bit of humility and respect. In return, Raph though that Leo was an arrogant, bossy prick who didn't know when to _shut the hell up_, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"I see…" Master Splinter trailed off, snapping Leo out of his musings. "Leonardo… Are you… Have you ever experienced _strange_ feelings for Raphael?"

Leo blinked, barely resisting the urge to cock his head to side and say "Huh?"

"Strange feelings? What do you mean, Master Splinter?" he questioned, eye ridges furrowed with curiosity.

Master Splinter put a clawed hand to his chin in thought; how could he say this in the most non-shocking way possible?

"Well, my son, you know about… incest, correct?" Master Splinter mentally cringed- so much for trying to make it 'non-shocking'.

Leo nodded again, looking quite contrived; what exactly was Master Splinter trying to get at?

"… Do you harbor _sexual_ feelings for Raphael, Leonardo?"

"…" There was a heavy silence.

At first, Leo could scarcely believe what he had just heard. Suddenly, he understood everything now- Mikey's strange behavior and evasiveness- and mentally smacked himself for being so clueless.

"No Master Splinter, of course not," he answered, his voice steady, calm, and firm (achieved through many years of practice). On the inside, he was about ready to panic- when did all these strange things start happening between him and his brothers?

How did Donny and Mikey even conceive the idea of him and Raph being in _that_ kind of relationship? Still, Leo felt a prickle of doubt sprouting in his mind- _could_ he feel that way about Raph, if the circumstances were different? He mentally shook his head at the thought; what was he _thinking_?

He didn't really pay attention to anything regarding matters of love, relationships, and all of that amorous hoopla- he'd always been too busy with other things, such as learning how to be a good leader to his brothers, plus all the training and responsibilities that came along with that position. He was clueless about how love actually felt like, because to tell the truth, he really hadn't come into contact with it at all in his entire life, family love aside.

Leo was snapped out of his thoughts a second time, however, when Master Splinter spoke again.

"I am glad, Leonardo," he said, looking greatly relieved at Leo's steadfast answer. "Although I will support any decision you or your brothers make, I am glad you do not feel that way about Raphael."

And honestly, Leo couldn't blame him for thinking that way; but another, more rebellious part of his mind couldn't help but be disgusted by Master Splinter's slightly narrow-minded statement. Would it be so bad if he _did_ think of Raphael like that? Then, he scolded himself- Master Splinter probably didn't mean to sound so judgmental, and he was only trying to look out for his sons, right?

"You may go now, Leonardo. Thank you for your time," Master Splinter dismissed him with a kind, fatherly smile.

Leo bowed respectfully to him in farewell, before getting up on his feet and silently walking out of the dimly-lit room. Both his mind and his heart grew heavy with apprehension.

What was going to happen _now_?

* * *

[1] Okay, I know that Donny wouldn't *really* Google "How to Deal With Incest"... it's just a little *thing* that I put in there that I think relates to some people, because I do that too whenever I'm faced with a little problem in my daily life- sounds stupid, I know, but it's an odd little quirk of mine, and I think many people share that quality, too. SO, have any of *you* guys ever done that before?

A/N: Whoa. *Looks up* Sadly, I think that's the longest thing I've ever written- not even my National History Day paper was that long… *Sweatdrop*

Anyways! Thanks for reading, my dear… um, readers! This chapter didn't turn out the way I planned- and yes, I know… "WTF, MASTER SPLINTER IS STARTING TO SOUND LIKE A DOUCHEFACE!" Welllll, that was _my_ reaction too, and I certainly didn't want him to come off as a douche face, but… I don't know, stories just have minds of their own!

I'm open to suggestions, people! And if you _don't_ have any suggestions, then I still appreciate getting reviews- even if they're pointless, one-word reviews- anything will motivate me! So please… Feed the hungry fan fiction author… *Points down at the pretty review button*


	4. Chapter 4

**A Different Kind of Brotherly Love**

**By:** Ramen

**Disclaimer: **Oh please. Like I would ever be smart or awesome enough to come up with TMNT! Or anything else you might find in here that's obviously _not_ mine… *Sad face* …I'm gonna go into my depressed corner now…

**Warning: **If you missed or somehow forgot the warning I posted in the story summary, then I will be glad to refresh your memory- I will not be held responsible for whatever disgust/horror/homophobia that you may or may not feel for this story, and as such, I am warning you now- flames will not be tolerated, and I will definitely find some way for that little flame to explode in your face… If you complain to me about corrupting your children's minds, then I will counter and say that it was your fault for not supervising your children properly, and if worse comes to worse, I can report you to the police if you harass me about it… Did my attempt to sound threatening succeed? No..? Aw…

**Author's Note: **Now that we've got that 'threatening' hoopla out of the way, let's get down to business! I'm sorry for taking so long with my updates- now I feel like a hypocrite, because _I _hate it when my favorite authors take too long to update… Bleh, now I know the pressure they must feel…

Thanks to _Morfanerina _(one of the most unique names I've seen in a while), _MidnightMoonWarrior_ (thanks for the kinds words!), and _Eridani23 (_thanks for motivating me two times, you cool person xD), _Love-LeoxRaph-Rage_ (haha, thank you very much for calling this awesome- sorry if my Raph is kinda suckish, I've been having a hard time pegging his character), and _danadess _(heh, that's my favorite line, too) for reviewing Chapter Three- you guys motivate me so~

* * *

_Chapter Four: Sleepless in New York_

It was 12:30 when Raph got back from the garage. Some bastard had slashed the Shell Cycle's tires the other day when he went out for a couple of drinks at the bar with Casey, and Donny wasn't the only one who knew his way around an engine, so he made the repairs himself.

His shoulder still ached from pushing the cycle back home all by himself yesterday (Casey had to get home early because of an 'emergency'). Adding insult to injury, he also had to take the longer, more secluded, way home, because it would've looked too suspicious for a mysterious trench-coated figure to be pushing a souped-up motorcycle down the streets of New York in the dead of the night; the last thing Raph needed was curious stares.

Long story short, he was tired, pissed, and in need of a stiff drink- for some strange reason, an image of Leonardo's angry face from last week's argument flashed in his mind at those thoughts.

God, he mentally groaned to himself as he leaned back into the couch and popped open a can of Bud, he sure hoped that he wouldn't encounter Fearless Leader tonight. It was just one of _those_ nights, when Raph knew that just _one_ little thing could set him off at this moment. With Leo, there's no such thing as 'little' in terms of irritation.

As you can see, he wasn't as impulsive or unexpected with his destructive moods as his brothers made him out to be; it was just that he didn't exactly know how to diffuse his anger before it exploded in everyone's face.

Beating the tar out of his poor punching bag obviously wasn't the solution, and getting shit-faced wasn't exactly a healthy alternative, either.

Unknowingly, he had confided in Casey about this predicament one late, drunken night, and Casey, who was half-sober and clearly getting some sick amusement out of seeing Raph completely wasted, had made some joke about him getting _laid_.

Him? Getting _laid_? Being a huge, muscular mutant turtle, his options weren't exactly plentiful [cue Raph's fan girls' screams]. Of course, he knew everything there was to know about the rituals of courting and all that jazz, thanks to Casey and the living documentary of carnal displays that could be seen just by walking through the shadier parts of the city.

Really, the only option of a lay that he had _without_ it being inter-species was Donny, Mikey, or, God forbid, _Leo_…

At that rampant thought, he coughed violently, nearly choking on the beer that he was guzzling down, especially at that _last_ prospect; Raph knew that he'd never get the image of Leo on top of him out of his head now.

'Wait, wait a damn second… Leo's not manly enough to be on top!' Raph scoffed. Afterwards, he shook his head with disbelief. Why the hell was he even thinking about this? Besides, if he had to choose out of the three, the last one he'd pick would be Leo. He had enough of his bossy attitude already; he didn't need to experience it in _bed_.

Once he finished the beer, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and crumpled the can. He tossed it in a nearby trash bin and decided to hit the sack; he'd been through _enough_ for today.

* * *

The next morning, Raph could feel some sort of strange tension hanging around in the lair. Maybe it had something to do with those weird looks that his brothers threw at him when they thought he wasn't looking, or maybe it was the way Donny and Mikey started speaking in hush tones right after he left a room.

It was as if there was something they weren't telling him, some sort of big secret that he wasn't included in. Hell, even Master Splinter was looking at him strange. It sure wasn't the first time Raph felt like this, but this time, it felt like there was something… _bigger_ going on.

Little did Raph know that his suspicions were about to be confirmed, but not in the way he expected.

The day proceeded on as usual, nothing out of the ordinary, just the regular sparring session that they had every single day. Mikey was his usual stupid self, cracking stupid jokes and doing stupid things (which pissed Master Splinter off to no end). Donny was normal, too, spouting off some random science shit that no one understood, and Leo… well, he was self-explanatory.

Raph yawned a bit, feeling bored. Day in and day out, everything was the same. He didn't know how long he could keep up with this monotony before he exploded (literally and figuratively).

When it came around to lunchtime, things started to get strange. The smell of slightly-burnt pizza crust, herby marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese floated around the lair; no doubt Mikey was currently baking his favorite food of all time. Raph came out of his room and saw Leo, who was lounging around on the sofa and reading a dull-looking book.

"'Ey, Leo, whatcha reading?" Raph asked curiously, trying to start a conversation. He'd wanted to question Leo about the source of all the tension, but it seemed like the blue-masked turtle had been avoiding him lately.

"Um… I-It's nothing, you probably wouldn't be interested in it, anyway," Leo murmured shyly, then looked down at his book again. Raph raised an eye ridge and stared sharply at his older brother. Was he… _blushing_? What the hell was going on?

"… Okay then…" Raph grunted, a displeased look on his face. Deciding to try again later, the red-masked turtle made his way to the kitchen to grab a beer, his mind buzzing with numerous thoughts.

What was happening around here? He searched his memory to see if he had done anything wrong lately, but nothing came to mind. Then why were they looking at him as if he committed a crime or something? It just didn't make any sense.

He stepped into the kitchen, intent on getting to the fridge, but something made him stop short.

"Wh-What the hell is going on here?" Raph yelped in a manly way (not), eyes wide and jaw dropping with shock.

Donny and Mikey jumped away from each other, as if electrocuted. When Raph had walked in, he saw his two younger brothers (oh God, it sounded even worse in his mind) practically grinding into each other, making out and moaning breathily into each other's mouths like a pair of wild animals.

"Fuck, don't tell me you two were about to…" Raph shuddered, looking back and forth between the two, his voice getting higher and higher as he went on. "Christ, when did this… how the hell did this happen?"

The two of them said nothing, both looking at the ground with shame on their faces. They were still flushed and panting quietly from their little 'bonding moment'.

After a long, intense silence, Donny finally looked up and shakily said, "Raph, Mikey and I… we love each other, and it would be… we would appreciate it if you were okay with that."

For once in his life, Raph was totally dumbstruck. It took a long time for him to find his voice again, but when he did, he instantly regretted it.

"But this… what you're doin' is _sick_, Donny! Can't ya see that?" he blurted out, his tone disgusted. Behind him, Raph heard a gasp, and he turned to see Leo standing in the doorway, dismay apparent on his expression.

"Leo, did you know about this?" Raph asked incredulously, motioning to Donny and Mikey like they were some sort of abomination.

Leo stayed quiet, a look of guilt spreading on his face, while Donny clutched Mikey's hand tighter in his own. The orange-masked turtle had a hand covering his eyes; it looked like he was crying.

"Shit, Mikey, I'm sorry, but this… This is too much…" Raph murmured, before quickly leaving the room.

"Raph!" He stopped short and looked back. He saw Donny glaring at him, tears pooling in his eyes. "You… You're such a hypocrite!"

Raph was speechless; what the hell was Donny talking about?

This time, it was Mikey who spoke up, his voice harsh but shaky and hiccups making his words falter. "Don't pretend like you don't know! I've seen the way you and Leo look at each other, so don't you tell us that what we're doing is sick!"

A shocked silence ensued. Raph stood frozen in place as his gaze shifted toward Leonardo.

"Raph…" Leo began, but stopped himself, biting his lip.

"Raph, are you okay?" It was Donny who spoke, his eye ridges furrowed worriedly at his unresponsive state.

"Raph?"

"Raph… Bro, _wake up_!"

Raph shot up and nearly fell out of his hammock, gasping harshly as he opened his eyes. From his peripheral, he saw Mikey standing there; the annoyed look on his face turned into concern when he saw how shaken he was.

"Dude, what happened? Aren't you, like, too _old_ to be having nightmares?" the orange-masked turtle giggled at his own joke, but Raph's glare silenced him again.

With a combination of a growl and groan, Raph de-tangled himself from his 'bed', eyes still half-closed as he reached for his bandana and tied it tightly around his head. God knows he wasn't a morning person, and the memory of that nightmare coupled with Mikey's annoying jokes wasn't helping him with that at all.

"Wanna talk about it?" This time, Mikey's tone was serious, much to Raph's surprise. He thought about telling him, just to get it off his chest, but decided against it. The dream was just too weird, and it kind of reminded him of one of Master Splinter's soap operas. Raph made a mental note to _never_ venture out into the living room while there was a "The Young and the Restless" marathon going on.

He snapped out of his random thoughts, realizing that Mikey was still waiting for an answer, so he shook his head and said, "Nah, it was nothin',"

Mikey considered pestering him further, but decided not to. Besides, he knew better than anybody that getting Raph pissed was never a good idea, especially in the morning. The two turtles made their way out of the room and headed toward the kitchen, where Donny was sitting at the table, nursing a cup of coffee.

"Hey bro, why so tired?" Mikey asked, putting Donny in a head-lock and causing some of his coffee to spill on the table, much to the genius's annoyance.

"Busy," Donny replied grumpily, getting up to go get a paper towel to wipe up the spilled liquid.

Raph cocked an eye ridge at his younger brother's uncharacteristically bitter mood, noting his pink-tinged eyes and deep scowl. What crawled up _his_ ass and died?

"Geez Donny, I hate to say it, but this idiot-" "_Hey!_" "-has a point. Ya look like shit."

"Thanks for being so eloquent, Raph," Donny retorted sarcastically, scrubbing the surface of the table clean. "For your information, I was… doing research last night."

"Ah," was Raph's reply, deciding not to dig deeper into Donny's answer. He made his way over to the fridge, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he pulled out a beer. Looking toward the kitchen counter, he remembered his dream, and shuddered at the image of his two younger brothers _fraternizing_ with each other.

"Ya know Raphie, it's not good to drink beer in the mornings," Mikey lectured, doing an eerily convincing impression of Leo, his eyes all and firm and his voice commanding.

Donny smacked him upside the head and Mikey winced, rubbing his poor, abused cranium. "Ow! Jeez Donny, I thought you already smacked me enough last night…"

At those last two words, an awkward silence fell upon all of them.

"Last night?" Raph asked curiously, instantly triggering a blush on both of their faces.

"U-Uhm…" Donny stuttered, and with a growing horror, Raph remembered his dream again.

"_Raph, Mikey and I… we love each other, and it would be… we would appreciate it if you were okay with that."_

Oh …_hell_ no, he thought, no freakin' way Jose, that was just a stupid dream… right?

"Well uh, you see, Donny and I were um… Wrestling last night, and surprisingly, he was smackin' me around like he was John Cena er something!" Mikey laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.

Raph raised an eye ridge, still not convinced, but before he could dwell on it, Donny smacked Mikey again, but harder.

"OW!"

"Surprisingly? What do you mean 'surprisingly', you unbelievable little…"

That statement was soon followed by half-hearted insults and snarky remarks, and strangely, it felt like a weight was being lifted off of Raph's shoulders. Everything was normal; there was no strange, incestual drama, no sobbing Mikey, no knight-in-shining-armor Donny, just a regular, loving moment between two brothers. Raph had a good feeling that it would stay that way for a _long_ time.

Well, as a wise man once said… don't count your chickens before they hatch.

* * *

Ending Note: Geez, what a… _bleh_ chapter. Hopefully, something exciting will happen next chapter, but knowing me, I'll probably drag everything out…

Anyway, thanks for reading Chapter Four guys; I'm still open to suggestions and stuff, and any kind of review will motivate me! [Points down at the Review Button] Chowder~


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Oh trust me, if I owned TMNT, the show would be too inappropriate to show to little children *wink*. Nah, I'm just playing; I'm not that perverted! But really, I don't own anything in here- please don't sue me.

**Warning: **Okay, I know you guys already know this, but for the people who _don't_; this story has SLASH, meaning boyxboy love. On top of it, they're buff green turtles. Oh yes. If you're easily offended by this, then please, for your own sake, don't read it. And don't leave meaningless flames, either, 'else I'll smack you with my sodding pimp cane.

**A/N: **Um… Please don't kill me! [Laughs nervously] I don't know why it took me so long to write this chapter, but here it is! Special thanks to:

_**Morfanerina **_Sorry for the long wait; I couldn't update soon, since I'm a terrible procrastinator, and yes, your name is very different- it's got a nice ring to it~

_**RavynandRika yami's lovers **_Haha, I'm glad you love it! And about that dream; sorry for being such a tease *wink*. I've noticed that Raph has numerous fan girls, so I felt like doing a special shout out for him! [Cackles]

_**stuff**_ This is hilarious? Wow, thank you so much; it feels good to know that at least one person appreciates my sucky humor!

_**Ick**_ Hmm… Not to sound like a clueless person or anything, but I'm getting a very strong hint of 'flame' in your review (ya know, judging by the 'Ick'). I'll _try_ to take it as constructive criticism, because I'm the bigger person and I already know that different people like different things, and you shouldn't really say something senselessly offensive to them in order to prove a point or state an opinion… unless you're one of those internet trolls. If you are, then disregard what I've just said… xD

_**AnimeDreama **_Yay, thank you very much for the kind words! I'll try my best to make it as consistently funny as I can~

_**Love-LeoxRaph-Rage **_Aw shucks, thank you; again! I welcome you for thanking me for thanking you (haha, confusing play on words)! I'll try to make Leo manlier, but since I fail at acting 'manly' as well, it'll certainly prove to be quite a challenge! Sorry for the long wait!

_**Jamocha101 **_Jammy! Oh my gosh, I had no idea you would review this story; I know how you don't fancy slash and all, and I appreciate the fact that you read it anyway! [Sniffle] My whole response to your review will probably be too long at this point, so I shall include more in our Mammoth PMs!

_**Reenie Bleenie **_Oh good God, thank you very much for this review! It really lifted my spirits up, so yeah! :D And I pissed myself like a sodding idiot when I read your parting quote- it's just so awesome with its subtle irony x)

Okay, I heard that responding to reviews is against the rules, but I'm having a hard time figuring out if that is a rumor or if it really is true, so maybe you guys know? If it is, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to erase my responses, but if it's not…

Well, anyway, I've already taken up enough space for the Author's Note and what-not, so without further ado, please enjoy (or at least try to enjoy) Chapter Five!

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_Chapter Five: A Peek Into the Mind of a Hot-Head_

Raph was far from stupid.

Sure, he could be kind of (_kind of?_) reckless and… hot-headed… and stubborn as a mule, but that didn't necessarily mean that he couldn't stand back and take a minute to observe his surroundings.

Usually, when these rare, epiphany-laden moments happened, he starts noticing things that he never noticed before.

Mikey could be an idiot, but he's a lovable idiot, and that no matter how many stupid remarks he made, he could be pretty damn perceptive when you least expected him to be. He was just one of those people, who seem goofy all the time, but on the inside, he had some sort of evil genius in there waiting to come out… or maybe Raph was just over-thinking things.

Most of the time, Donny was a human (mutant turtle) dictionary, but _some_times, he was _really stupid_ (… if you slipped a couple drops of strong vodka into his morning coffee. Yes, even a _couple drops_ could make him dead shit-wasted, because really, Donny had always been a lightweight… That fact alone has provided Raph with countless hours of cheap entertainment before said braniac passed out from the sheer lack of thinking). Juvenile mischief aside, Donny wasn't a genius all the time; he sometimes slipped up and made mistakes, just like everybody else.

And maybe Leo _was_ an insufferable pain in the ass that had the annoying habit of sounding like a combination of an old hag _and_ a noble super hero at the same time, but other than that, there were times when he could be pretty straight (no pun intended) and actually, dare he say it… _fun_.

Well, Raph wouldn't be saying _that_ again anytime soon. But, I digress.

So yes, he realized _a lot_ of things when his mind was clear, and much more than his brothers' many hidden quirks, too. Sometimes, the things he pondered had the tendency to inadvertently save his green ass, but unfortunately, his mind was _far_ from clear at the moment.

Despite his earlier re-assurances, he _still_ couldn't let go of the fact that things were quite iffy around the lair. Suspicion and Raph did not mix well; it gnawed insistently at him whenever it came up, and oftentimes, curiosity became too much for him and he would explode, as he usually did when he was faced with something he couldn't quite understand.

Raph was an impatient person (as if that wasn't obvious enough). He couldn't stand waiting for anything; whenever he had his sights set on something, he set out to retrieve it like a hungry bloodhound that had just picked up a whiff of raw sausage.

In this case, he wanted to know just what the _hell_ was going on around here. Whenever all four of them were in the same room, there was a new, uncomfortable silence permeating the air. Once or twice, Raph could've _sworn_ that both Mikey and Leo were staring rather intensely at him, but when he turned around, they quickly turn their heads in the opposite direction.

And Donny, don't even get him _started_ with Donny. Most days, said genius would have his head bowed down, reading a book or tinkering with some gadget, and he would refuse to look up for any reason whatsoever, not even when Mikey cracked a retarded joke. Donny may have been a recluse most of the time, but usually, he would at least make an effort to get involved whenever all of them were spending time together.

Their weird behavior was both confusing _and_ frustrating at the same time, and that combination did nothing to help Raph's impatience complex. Though he would never admit it out loud, he kind of missed everyone being at ease with each other; it's been _days_ since he's seen Don and Mikey having a snarky conversation with each other, and it's been even longer since he's seen Leo make some reprimanding comment about how hot-headed Raph was.

The fucked up thing about it was that Raph was actually starting to _miss_ Leo and his constant 'holier-than-thou' attitude. It was funny: before, he would've gladly settled for the new, much quieter Leo, but now that he'd actually gone through it, he wanted the old Leo back.

That was probably the biggest reason why Raph was close to cracking. It unnerved him to admit missing the old Leo, because it just wasn't _natural;_ the two of them had always been at each other's throats, the ones who personified the very concept of sibling rivalry itself. Any normal person would think that Raph would treasure Leo's new-found, quiet behavior, but in this case, Raph was _not_ normal. He actually missed the fights, the brawls, the constant yelling, because... because, well, he didn't quite know the answer to that just yet. Hell, he didn't even know if he _wanted_ to know, but at the same, there was still that _damn curiosity _that was gnawing at him…

So, one day, he decided to act on his suspicions once and for all.

"Okay, I give up- _what the hell has been up with everyone lately_?" Raph's caustic voice cut harshly into the thick atmosphere. Mikey flinched visibly, as if those words were a slap in the face. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch, choosing to remain silent, and pretends to be absorbed in the colorful, loud explosions of an overly-violent action movie that was currently blaring from their wide-screen television. The boisterous noises of booms and crashes were the only sounds that reverberated in the spacious living room.

"_Well?_ Is anyone gonna answer ta that, or are you goin' ta leave me in suspense?" Still silence. He could see that Donny and Leo were starting to look a bit nervous, by the way their postures stiffened slightly. Donny pulls a book out from God-knows-where and flips to a dog-eared page, putting on a good show of being totally engrossed in whatever intricate literature he was reading, for he couldn't bear to even _pretend_ to be absorbed in the Jason Statham movie like Mikey was.

Meanwhile, Leo was staring straight ahead, at the TV screen. At first glance, he appeared to be fully engrossed in the movie, but if you looked closer, he really wasn't; a glazed, far-off look seemed to be set permanently into his deep brown eyes, as if he was staring out into space. Plus, Raph found it unlikely that Leo would be paying _that_ much attention to the rivulets of sweat that were dripping off of some nameless body-builder's broad, muscular chest (besides, Leo had his own impressive set of muscles to look at, so why would he… wait, why was Raph even thinking about _that?_!).

For lack of a better word, Raph was so irritated right now that his fist twitched with the urge to sock Mikey in the gut for no good reason other than the fact that he was pissed. Why the hell were they all ignoring him? For the first time in a long time, the red-masked turtle felt the nasty, solitary feeling of being the odd one out. In his younger years, Raph dealt with something that every child had to learn the hard way: discipline.

Of course, he had experienced it more than his brothers ever did, due to his naturally short temper and harsh disposition. If Raph had a penny for every time Master Splinter had punished him for bad behavior, he would've had enough money to buy Donny the laboratory of his wet dreams.

Every disapproving look, every sharp word of retribution that came out of his adopted father's mouth _should_ have taught Raph the grueling lesson of self-discipline, but instead, it only served to frustrate him even further and push him deeper and deeper into a mind filled with confused, angry feelings that struggled to come out of him like a wild animal trying desperately to break free from a cage.

Raph told himself time and time again that he would try to keep his temper in check, let the hurtful words die in his throat before he could let them out, but no matter how hard he tried, the wrathful feelings would bottle up inside him until he eventually lost it. Even worse was the time after his big, nasty blow-up: for the rest of the day, Leo, Mikey, and not even Donny would look him in the eye. They would all give him furtive glances, and every time they opened their mouths to speak to him, the words just didn't come out because they didn't know what to say.

Kind of like how it was right now.

Raph could literally feel his hands shaking, and a burning feeling erupts in his stomach so passionately that it almost scares him. He knows that he's mad right now; mad at the fact that they were all keeping something from them and mad at the fact that it was affecting him so much. Jesus, why couldn't they just come out and _say it_? They all knew more than anyone, even Casey and Master Splinter, that his temper was as short and combustible as a midget with a flamethrower, so why intentionally provoke him like this? _Why_?

And just as he's about to explode, Mikey breaks the silence in a low, meek tone that is unbecoming of him and says, "Raph… Trust me when I say that you _really_ don't wanna know what's going on." This statement was accompanied by a widening of baby blue eyes, followed by the slight frown/pout of dejection that made up Mikey's infamous begging face.

Suffice to say, Raph is so shocked by this sudden action that his anger fades away completely, like a distant memory that had been grasped too many times to be grasped again. For one, Mikey _never_ spoke up whenever Raph was about to go into another one of his livid temper tantrums. It was always Leo or even Donny who tried to re-assess the situation before it got out of hand, but never Mikey. Plus, the serious, desperate tone in the youngest turtle's voice was something that didn't come from him often.

A cold, dreadful silence envelops the room again, and Raph fucking hates it. He would rather be thrashing around, yelling hurtful words and empty threats and breaking things than go through this awkward absence of sound that seemed to be a common occurrence nowadays. He tries to open his mouth to say something, anything that would probably be labeled as rude, or pointlessly harsh, but absolutely nothing comes out.

Raph doesn't know whether to be frustrated or relieved as he quickly walks out of the room.

* * *

A/N: Ooh, an angsty turn for the worse? For those of you who have been waiting forever for this update, I'm terribly sorry: I know that what little humor that was in here was mediocre at best, and the angst was poorly done, but it was the best that I could do at the moment.

I've spent weeks, _months_ procrastinating on this story, and for that, I apologize to the readers. I felt like I had to throw a bit of angst and serious bits into this story so that it wouldn't be flat-out humor and good feelings, because, well, I don't think life quite works that way, and I would very much like to implement some sort of conflict or trouble in this story aside from the usual banter and jokes.

As always, feedback and constructive criticism are very much appreciated; for the latter, feel free to be as harsh as you possibly can. Thank you for reading this, hope you stick around for the next chapter, which I will be working hard on!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** There are only a few things I own in this world: my crazy-arse disposition, my sucky stories, and my pet fish (including my pet fish's _poo_… which ain't a good thing to own in the first place). As you can see, TMNT _wasn't_ in that list, so I don't own it! Big surprise there, yeah?

**Warning: **See the other Chapters, you lazy bum! Just kidding, I love you all~! Buttttt if you dislike slash or turtlecest and have a tendency to troll or flame it… get the hell out.

**A/N:** Well hi there; you guys look absolutely _lovely _today! Here I am, hoping that this chapter is going to be better than the last one I dished out; I'm aware that that chapter _sucked, _so I'm hoping this one doesn't! Special thanks to:

_**RavynandRika yami's lovers **_Gosh, thanks again for the second review! Yeah, I agree- he should definitely get some sort of, ahem, _retribution_, eh? ;)

**Reenie Bleenie** A fellow procrastinator! YES! I'm finding more and more of those lately! ;D Your review cheered me up again, and it actually helped set my mind straight about the plot of the story; you're right, I do need to focus on that aspect of the story a lot more, because, as you said, that _is_ the whole point of it… Thank you so very much for the kind words, hope you like this chapter more than you did the others ^^ And lastly… your quote is so, so true xD

**Morfanerina **Augh, I bet your updates aren't as late as mine: I have trouble getting the words out sometimes! And thank you, I will try to keep it up~

**Angel **Threw a condom at the door…? My, that certainly sounds unpleasant, but I'm glad to know that I made you chuckle! After all, laughing is good for the health~

* * *

Chapter Six: Everything I Ask For

Every time Mikey was at a loss of what to do, he would resort to drawing. What would he draw, exactly? He mostly drew random doodles; stick figures, mini-comics, pizzas with various toppings, video-game characters, you name it. It helped him relieve stress, traveling into a world of paper and graphite where he could create images and be entirely alone with his imagination.

However, his imagination was kind of non-existent at the moment, considering the troubled thoughts that were currently swimming through his brain. His hand practically had a mind of its own, tracing random pictures onto the clean white paper before him as he let his subconscious take over.

This situation was slowly getting out of hand. Raph was probably on the verge of losing his shit and exploding like some sort of damn… exploding thing, while Leo was acting like a shy maiden staring longingly at her crush from afar.

Mikey knew that Leo had figured out what was going on by now, and that discussion with Master Splinter the other day must've helped that light bulb, well, _light up_. After all, their adoptive father has always watched over all of them with his unfailing hawk's eye, to the point where it was beginning to be more like _stalking _rather than fatherly guidance. But, perhaps Mikey was exaggerating a tiny bit. He knew Master Splinter meant well, but he often mixed up 'ninjitsu master' and 'father' too many times.

'I'm thinking entirely too much about- oh dear God, _what the hell is this?'_ Mikey would have yelped out loud if it weren't for the hand covering his mouth in shock. On the previously blank paper, there was an eerily accurate sketch of Leo and Raph. Fortunately, it wasn't an _X-Rated image_ (if that's what you were thinking, you perverts).

In the picture, a rough outline of Leo's prone body was lying down on a couch, and beside him, Raph sat in a chair. The thing that stood out the most about the picture, however, was that both of the turtle's hands were intertwined warmly together. Raph had such a heart-breaking look on his face as he gazed worriedly at Leo's unconscious state. Meanwhile, Leo looked kind of feverish, like he was drifting in and out of awake and asleep [1]. Mikey was impressed with the picture; all of that detail, and he had been under the impression that he was just doodling!

'I _knew_ I had an inner Picasso in me somewhere!' he thought to himself, staring proudly and grinning at the sketch as if it was his newborn child.

"Nice picture there Mikey," The orange-masked turtle was pulled out of his shining moment, however, as he let out a (manly) scream and defensively pressed the picture against his chest, where he could feel his heart pounding wildly with fear. He looked up, and to his horror, it was Leo standing right in front of him. The expression on his face held bemusement, and Mikey knew by the grim frown that the picture didn't seem 'nice' to Leo at all.

"Jesus, Leo, could you _warn_ me next time you try to give me a heart attack?" Mikey joked nervously, vainly trying to change the subject.

"I just don't get it, Mikey," Leo murmured, his solemn voice sending chills down Mikey's shell. The scary part was, it felt like the older turtle was about to murder him or something!

"D-Don't get what?" The younger of the two asked, his tone cautious and wary as he tried to back away from his brother as inconspicuously as possible.

There was an unbearable interval of silence, where Leo was trying to burn holes into Mikey's head (as if to say, "What do you _think_ I don't get, you damn bastard?"), and Mikey felt like he was literally and figuratively about to explode under Leo's scrutiny alone.

It seemed as if nobody else was in the lair at that moment: he and Leo had the place all to themselves, with nothing but the sewer rats to hear them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Mikey thought that Leo must've planned this moment to strike. The orange-masked turtle tried to ignore the traitorous, eerie voice in the back of his head, whispering, 'Down in the sewers… no one can hear you scream…'

"Mikey, I… I just… W-Why do you think me and Raph…?" Leo stammered, unable to get the words out. Mikey's demeanor suddenly turned serious. There were no pretenses now, no chances of escape; the game was up, and Mikey had to put his unofficial plan into effect.

"Isn't it obvious? Haven't you heard the phrase 'sexual tension' before? 'Cause man, you and Raph are just so full of it that it's not even funny," Leo blinked, stunned at Mikey's new-found bluntness. This was a side that he rarely saw from his carefree baby brother, and honestly, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh right now. This situation was just too weird to comprehend, let alone confront Mikey about! Taking a deep breath, Leo hesitated before voicing his reply.

"No, apparently I don't! This is just… Raph and I have always been… angry toward each other, it's just been a phase that's lasted for… for…" Hell, Leo didn't even know when his and Raph's bad history started. Was it when Leo was appointed leader, or was it way before that? "But that doesn't mean anything! So stop saying all of these… th-these things, because they're not true!"

"Leo, I can't believe you're so damn clueless! You mean you've never noticed anything else between you and-" Mikey stopped himself mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something: Leo literally didn't have a clue about anything that was going on!

_Now_ Mikey knew what he meant when he said he "didn't get it".

His gaze softened a bit, and he suddenly began to notice how helpless Leo's face looked at that moment. Ever since Mikey could remember, the blue-masked turtle had always tried his best to be a good leader from a very young, tender age. But, all of that training and mental discipline didn't include a lesson on 'teenage hormones'. Master Splinter had tried talking about it _once_, but, considering that they were busy fighting the Shredder and all, there had been very little time to dwell on that subject.

Of course, Mikey, Raph, and Donny all found their own ways of learning about _that _(cough - naughty magazines that were conveniently found in the junk yard among the usual pieces of moldy leftovers, not to mention those shonen-ai manga - cough), but they only found time to do that because they _didn't _have a kick-ass ninja rat/terrifying father figure breathing down their necks 24/7.

Sure, Leo had _some_ knowledge of how sex worked, and he pretty much knew the basics of a relationship (Mikey wouldn't be surprised if Master Splinter's idea of teaching Leo about romantic relationships involved watching a bit of daytime television – that's a bad thing), but he probably thought that the matter was completely trivial, considering the fact that, well, they were mutant ninja turtles who couldn't even approach a girl without her whipping out the pepper spray.

But it _wasn't _trivial at all, especially not when they were all faced with a terribly awkward situation such as this! It was inevitable, too; who else could they 'mate' with besides each other?

"Oh, Leo… I'm sorry dude, I just thought…" Mikey apologized sympathetically, suddenly feeling like the biggest douche bag _ever_. Leo sat down heavily on the couch, burying his head in his hands.

Mikey bit his lip nervously. This was the first time in a while that he had seen Leo lose his cool. Usually, he would look straight ahead and solve the problem with head held confidently high, but this scenario was an entirely different ball game altogether.

'Maybe Leo really _doesn't_ see Raph that way…' he thought reluctantly to himself, before furrowing his eye ridges and clenching his teeth in frustration. 'Wait, no! Don't start doubting yourself, man – I just know there's something going on there!' Although this started out as some sort of joke to Mikey, the thought of there being sexual tension between Leo and Raph wasn't just some random idea that came out of the blue.

He could see it in the longing looks that Raph threw at Leo when the other wasn't looking, and the furtive, guilty glances from Leo during the sweaty hours of training. It was especially noticeable whenever they got into one of their infamous, frequent fights.

The arguments would always start out the same; Raph would do or say something insensitive or rude, Leo would reprimand him like the good leader he was trying to be, Raph would get pissed, and the two would undergo a lover's spat, as Mikey liked to put it. Sometimes, the arguments would turn excessively angry, at times even violent, and _there_, something strange would happen: their hands would linger for a bit longer than necessary, or their eyes would reveal something other than the 'hatred' they felt for each other on the surface.

The saddest part was, neither of them noticed a _damn thing_, because they were too caught up in each other's fire to even realize exactly _how_ and _how much_ they affected each other.

'Wow, I think I'm pulling a Donny right now,' Mikey thought in amazement, surprised at how much thought he was actually putting into this. After all, if Raph and Leo somehow _did_ get together in the end, it would be beneficial to everyone. The arguments would stop (or, at least, become _less harsh_), Mikey would never let neither of them live it down and therefore tease them every opportunity he got (hey, _he_ should benefit the most from it, right?), and Donny… well, since he was (_secretly_) into that sappy boy's love stuff, this would give him plenty of enjoyment, too.

'What about Master Splinter, though…?' Mikey shook his head, ridding himself of that thought completely – he could drive over _that_ little speed bump later. Right now, he needed to work on the emotionally pent-up turtle sitting across from him.

With his new-found determination, Mikey put down his sketchpad down and plopped down next to Leo on the couch.

"Hey, Leo…" Mikey frowned when the older turtle ignored him, so he poked Leo on the side for good measure. Unexpectedly, this action caused a muffled snicker to escape from the blue-masked turtle, but still, he refused to acknowledge Mikey. So, of course, like the relentless bastard that he was, the younger turtle kept on poking him all over the place until eventually, Leo burst out into a fit of hysteria and was forced to uncover his face.

"So you're ticklish, huh?" Mikey giggled evilly, a devious smirk crossing his features. That would totally go into the 'Blackmail Cabinet' (otherwise known as Herbert – yes, he actually _named_ the aforementioned 'Blackmail Cabinet' Herbert).

"Don't tell anyone or I might just have to slip something into your pizzas," Leo deadpanned, and Mikey resisted the urge to snort – he was surprised that his older brother even _had_ a sense of humor, albeit a very strange one.

"Speaking of pizzas, I'm starving – can we have a slice before we delve into this dramatic crap, bro?" Mikey grinned cheekily, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Leo rolled his eyes good-naturedly, giving his younger brother a playful swat over the head, "At a time like this, only _you_ would think about your stomach, Mikey,"

Mikey shrugged in response, feigning a hurt look, "Well _sorry_ for concerning myself with my nourishment. I'll just go and starve and wither away in that corner over there, because of my cruel uncaring brother," he sniffled dramatically, causing Leo to snort.

"You know very well that I won't be the only one who will freak out over this," Leo sighed, shifting the mood of the conversation entirely. Leave it to Leo to think about everyone else, even when he was in such a rare emotional crisis, Mikey thought sadly.

"Come on, bro, I know this is going fast for you, but you must feel something for Raph besides just hate-"

"I don't hate him," Leo cut in sharply, interrupting Mikey mid-sentence. The younger of the two paused, as if coaxing Leo to speak further, but it took a while for the blue-masked turtle to say more.

"I… I just want him to make the right decisions, you know? But he's… well, he's Raph!" Leo let out a humorless laugh as Mikey nodded in agreement. Good, good, Leo was beginning to open up to him – maybe what he needed all along was someone to vent to. Mikey knew that the role of unofficial-yet-official therapist was appointed to Donny, but he wasn't the only one who could listen in this family.

"I try my best to set him on the right path, but… lately, I've been starting to think that I'm going about it the wrong way, because… well, you know how our discussions always end up, huh?" Another dry chuckle. "I hate everything that's going on between us, and no matter how hard I try, I somehow always end up getting pulled into our arguments b-because…" Here, Leo clenched his fists, as if he couldn't find the words to express what he was truly feeling, and his cheeks were dusted with a hint of dark green. Mikey let out a breath of disbelief. Maybe his theory _wasn't_ far from the mark at all…

"Well, whatever the reason for these arguments, I just want them to end. I… I want to get to know him better, learn the reasons why he acts the way he does… I want us to… really know each other." And that was the end of Leo's rant. He looked conflicted and unsure of himself, as if he thought that he had revealed too much and that his problems would become an unnecessary burden to Mikey. The younger turtle scoffed, clearly recognizing that look, and decided that it was _his_ turn to speak.

"You love him," Mikey stated matter-of-factly. His tone of voice clearly said that he meant _that_ kind of love.

"I don't know if I can," Leo admitted, looking quite embarrassed now that he had actually acknowledged the fact that he could like Raph in that way.

"Who says that you can't? Master Splinter? _Yourself_?" Mikey questioned. His voice carried no hint of malice that came with forceful interrogation, it was just a regular question that he wanted to know the answer to.

"I… I don't know. Master Splinter said…" Leo started, telling Mikey everything about his talk with their adopted father.

Mikey grimaced. "He _said _that?" Leo's story was hard to believe, especially the part where Master Splinter had actually talked about incest. _That_ must've been awkward for the both of them.

Leo nodded, his face even more dark green than before. "Yeah, he did…" Mikey felt a prickle of worry creeping up his spine at this new development – God, he knew that Master Splinter's blessing was probably the most important thing to Leo whenever he had to make decisions. Their father's judgment could ultimately decide the outcome of this whole fiasco, no matter how much Mikey fought or worked for them to get together.

It wasn't fair! Why couldn't they make their own decisions without Master Splinter influencing them? 'He's your adopted father. He's done everything for all of you, so it's only natural that you should try to repay him,' the traitorous voice in the back of his mind whispered. Annoyed, Mikey swatted that voice away. True, they all loved Master Splinter – the rat was probably one of the most respectable and kind people that Mikey knew, for God's sake – but this shouldn't be something that he could dictate over.

"Well… whatever you decide, bro, I'm with you a hundred percent," Mikey grinned. Touched by his sentiments, Leo gave a small smile of his own in reply. Mikey had done all he could for him; now it all depended on Leo to make his decision.

"Thanks Mikey – now I have a better sense of what to do…" The two brothers shared a thoughtful silence, just basking in each other's company in the aftermath of their heavy conversation, when suddenly…

"Leonardo! Michelangelo!" Both turtles snapped their heads around to the source of Master Splinter's voice, and the sight that greeted them made them flinch visibly from shock.

Master Splinter hobbled forward as fast as he could, glaring ruefully at his cane for slowing his progress. Raph and, surprisingly,_ Usagi_ followed behind him. They were carrying someone, the figure's arms around their shoulders for support, and it was…

"Donny!"

"Quickly, Leonardo, help them carry Donatello to his room – he suddenly fell unconscious while we were at the junk yard…"

* * *

**Ending Note:** Oh look, a cliffhanger /shot… I guess I deserved that.

[1] Does this scene sound familiar to you guys? Excluding the hand-holding, of course~

Okay guys, as usual, reviews are very much appreciated - constructive criticism even more so. They drive me to update faster~

**OH, and this end note is dedicated to the people that are currently suffering from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. **

**I hope with all of my heart that all goes well, and I grieve for the people who may have lost family and those who have died in this recent natural disaster. **

**My prayers go to all of you who are facing difficulties, wherever you are.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** All rights to TMNT belong to Peter Laird, Nickelodeon or Mirage, whoever has ownership over it. I do not own **anything** in this story, and I'm **not** making any profit from it, so please spare this wannabe writer from any lawsuits! Please and thank you~

**Warnings: **Contains overly-dramatic, cliché situations that have _slash_ in them – for your own sakes, I suggest that you don't read further if you're particularly peevish about any of those things, so that you won't get the idea of leaving flames on my poor little story… or suffer a bout of brain damage.

A/N: Lalalalala, I actually started on this chapter early! It's a miracle! Special thanks to:

_**blackrabbitt**_ Thank you very much for the kind words~ Sorry the chapter took so long!

_**Oh **_Hmm... Good question! Uke Leo is the one that I've seen the most, but Uke Raph would be... very interesting... Ahem, anywho, thanks for all the reviews, man! You just piled 'em in there like BAM - the rest of your reviews made me laugh! Ohoho, you random, silly person...

_**RavynandRika yami's lovers **_Ahh thank you so much! It means a lot to me to think that you enjoy my stories so much - that's what makes _my_ day :) Also, thank you for being a frequent reviewer - your comments have really motivated me to keep writing this fanfic!

_**Mar Mar Binks **_Aww shucks, thank you so very much for all of your positive words~ They really warm my soul up ^_^ Well, he always _did_ say that he had an inner Picasso in him somewhere ;)

_**Morfanerina**_ Thank you very much, I _will_ try to keep it up! Writer's block is like an itch that you can't scratch - unfortunately, everyone seems to suffer from it :( I love all of your comments - I notice that you've been a constant reviewer, so thank you for all of the kind words! They've motivated me so much over the course of writing this story~

_**Love-LeoxRaph-Rage **_Poor, poor Japan. However, I'm confident that they will recover quickly - after all, they're a strong country, they will rise up again stronger than before! Thank you for all of your positive comments - they've really fueled me to keep on writing these chapters. :)

Heh, I know I sounded like a broken record with replying to you guys, but I really do mean what I say - to everyone who was kind enough to leave a review to this story, thank you guys for encouraging me so much! Hope you enjoy Chapter 7!

* * *

_Chapter Seven: Love Triangles – They're Way Better than Cable_

It took only a few minutes for the whole group to lay Donny down gently on his bed and press a water-soaked cloth to his burning forehead. Mikey pilfered through their medicine cabinets for some fever-reducers, grabbing their recycled thermometer and a couple of thermometer probes on his way back to Donny's room.

Donny lay uncomfortably on the bed, wrapped in a thick cocoon of blankets. His breaths were coming out in shallow gasps, and his face held a sickly, dark green flush to it. Next to the bed, Raph was pacing back and forth, his expression dark and somber.

Master Splinter and Usagi sat in the corner, conversing in hushed tones while staring worriedly at the fever-wracked body on the bed. Mikey set the medicine and thermometer down on the bedside table, making his way over to the two.

"Hey, Usagi," he greeted as cheerfully as he could, though it came out quiet and half-hearted. Usagi smiled back and opened his mouth to respond, but Master Splinter beat him to the punch.

"I shall... go and assist Leonardo with gathering supplies. If you'll excuse me," the ninjitsu master stood up and left the room, leaving Mikey and Usagi alone to talk.

"It is very nice to see you again, Mikey-san. Though, I wish it were not under these misfortunate circumstances." Usagi murmured the last part, his gaze flitting slightly towards Donny as if to emphasize his statement.

The orange-masked turtle momentarily cringed at the formality of the suffix (he'd tried in numerous attempts to stop Usagi from adding '–san' at the end of his name; turns out the samurai was just too polite to do that), but replaced it with his trademark grin.

"Thanks for helping with… y'know, bringing him back," Mikey's tone was sincerely grateful, and he continued, "Do you know how he fainted all of a sudden?"

Usagi shook his head, "I'm afraid I do not. I was actually on my way here to-" the samurai stopped mid-sentence, and a blush crept upon his face, as if he had nearly blurted something out that he hadn't meant to. Nevertheless, he shook his head and continued, "A-Anyway, I spotted your brothers and Master Splinter in the local junkyard. Donatello-san had already fainted by the time I approached them, and of course, since I already meant to come here, I had just to help carry him back…"

Mikey nodded gravely, indicating that he had been listening, when suddenly, another voice interrupted their conversation.

"Right before he fainted, we asked 'im if he was alright_,_" Raph's tone practically oozed with frustration, his fists clenching shakily as he looked down at Donny with a hard, cold gaze. "He told me an' Master Splinter that 'e was fine, but… 'e _lied _straight to our faces," The last sentence came out as a soft, intense murmur, and a flash of concern glinted underneath that tough exterior that he tried to put up in his glare.

"Dude, I'm sure that he just didn't know how tired he _really_ was… you know how Donny is," Mikey pointed out, trying half-heartedly to defend his currently unconscious brother. Raph only grunted in reply, opting to go back to his nervous pacing once more.

Truth be told, Mikey was a bit frustrated at Donny himself – the so-called genius was a true _idiot_ when it came to looking out for his own self. He usually pushed his body and mind to the limit, even when he was over-stepping the boundaries of basic human necessities (despite their mutated bodies, they still had some of the same weaknesses that humans possessed), but he had never fainted out of the blue like this before. It was a cause for concern, and frankly, Mikey had the right to be a little angry at his careless behavior.

Usagi stared discreetly at his companion's jaw as it began to stiffen with the first signs of anger, and observantly decided that Mikey and Donny might need some time to themselves for a little while. With a new determination set in place, the samurai stood up and politely bowed to Mikey, who looked more confused than angry now at his sudden action.

"I apologize, Mikey-san, but you'll have to excuse me for a moment – since all of you are too pre-occupied to do so at the moment, I will try to prepare supper," Before Mikey could protest, Usagi turned to address Raph. "Raphael-san, if it is not too much trouble, could you please assist me in the, uhm… cooking room?" The samurai hesitated a bit, unfamiliar with the term 'kitchen'.

"Sure thing," Raph shrugged, looking less frustrated now that he had the prospect of doing something else for a change, rather than just pacing back and forth until he made indents in the floor.

"Thanks Usagi," Mikey said, shooting a grateful smile at the samurai. Usagi nodded as if to say "no problem" before he and Raph exited the room, closing the door behind them.

Once they were gone, the orange-masked turtle frowned and let loose a quiet, yet monumental sigh. Careful not to make a sound, he lifted the chair that was perched against the wall and carried it closer to where Donny lay, setting it down right next to his bedside. He gingerly sat down, sitting so close that his knee caps barely touched the soft bed sheets.

Nearby, the hums and whirs of machines echoed almost transcendently around the room. Mikey chuckled to himself, thinking that perhaps the sound of said machines helped lull Donny to sleep on his desk every night, but shook the silly thought away in favor of staring at his brother's face.

"You are such a freakin' workaholic, bro…" Mikey murmured fondly under his breath, watching as Donny breathed gently through his open mouth. He hadn't seen his older brother look _this_ peaceful in a while.

"How many times do we have to nag you to take care of yourself 'till it finally gets through to your stubborn head?" Of course, there was no response. "…You make me so damn angry sometimes, y'know? And considering that my name _isn't_ Raph, that's sayin' a lot," Mikey cackled immaturely at his own joke, not noticing that Donny had stirred until he heard the genius's voice.

"'M sorry, Mikey…" The orange-masked turtle blinked in momentary surprise, not expecting to hear those slurred words. Donny's eyes were half-lidded, hazy and a bit red from the fever, but nonetheless, they were finally open.

"I-I guess I just kinda… burned out for a second there," Donny attempted to laugh. It was weak, though at least he still tried – it ended up as a sharp, wet coughing fit instead.

Mikey's vision began to blur as he leaned forward, capturing Donny in a swift, slightly awkward hug. "C-Calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people," Mikey buried his face into his older brother's neck, trying hard to reign in his tears. There was no way in _hell_ that he would cry for something as small and silly as this. Heroes _never_ cried, and Mikey had always liked to think of himself as a manly, hardcore superhero (he does have the muscles for it after all).

"You made everyone worried, and… and damn it bro, next time you should tell someone when you have a huge fever or something worse will happen _other_ than you fainting, you… you big twat*…" A small but audible sniff followed after that sentiment.

Donny's eyes widened at the sudden display of affection, but his surprised expression soon melted into a smile. If his throat wasn't constricting so painfully at the moment, he would have let out another laugh of amusement at Mikey's little rant.

"'m so sorry for making you worry," Donny murmured sleepily, stroking the back of Mikey's head and neck in what he hoped was a soothing gesture.

The two remained like that for several minutes, both secretly wanting to make the moment last for a bit longer. However, Mikey decided to gather his wits about him, his expression turning (adorably) serious as he set about taking care of Donny.

"I'm gonna take your temperature," Mikey announced, receiving only a slight nod in reply. He carefully covered the thermometer with a plastic probe, peeling the paper cover off until all that was left was the transparent part, then gently coaxed Donny's mouth open to insert it under his tongue. The brief touch of Donny's hot, flushed skin against his hand was enough to make Mikey's breath hitch in his throat, but he quickly composed himself as he waited for the thermometer to beep.

"105.3," Mikey grimaced as he read the surprisingly high temperature out loud. Man, Donny's fever was seriously no joke – how had it risen up so high, so quickly, without anybody knowing about it?

"I've _really_ done it this time, haven't I?" Donny joked weakly, his voice hoarse from all of the nasty phlegm in his throat. However, his attempt at lightening the situation did not bear any fruit.

"Shut up, you – I'm still pissed that you didn't tell anyone before it got this bad!" Mikey reprimanded half-heartedly, a small pout settling on his face. Donny felt his cheeks burning slightly, and something told him that it _wasn't _just from the fever.

The genius sighed and resisted the urge to slap his own forehead. He knew he had _really_ screwed up this time; Mikey would probably remain cross and attentive with him for a while, even after this whole fever fiasco blew over.

"Can you eat something right now, or is your stomach too weak?" Mikey asked, throwing the used thermometer probe away in a nearby trash can.

"I…" Donny's tongue darted out momentarily to wet his chapped lips, causing a strange feeling to stir in the pit of Mikey's stomach. "I could try eating something… I-I need to before taking that medicine, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Mikey answered, turning his face away from his older brother to hide the dark green blush that burned on his cheeks. "I-I'll go see if Usagi and Raph are done cooking– just shout if you need me, bro, I'll be back soon!" With that, the younger of the two turned with a pivot of his heel and left the room, leaving Donny all by himself.

The braniac sighed, shivering coldly under the covers as he stared up at the gray ceiling. His fever hadn't been this bad in the morning, but maybe he should have _at least_ eaten something today instead of skipping both breakfast and lunch. Not to mention the all-nighters that he had pulled for the whole week; he gave another exhausted sigh and closed his burning eyes. He'd have to start taking care of his health from now on, instead of just neglecting as if it were an annoying puppy. Problem was, old habits died hard.

'It's not entirely _my_ fault though,' he thought feebly, trying to stem the feelings of guilt and anger that he harbored for himself. Inevitably, his attempt proved to be futile.

Truth be told, part of the reason as to why he had been more ignorant of his health lately was because of Mikey (and the other part was just from habit). Try as he might, he just couldn't get his younger brother out of his head.

He'd seen those shy glances, the way Mikey's face had flushed when he thought Donny wasn't looking, and he knew that sooner or later, they were going to have to talk about _it_. The longer you hold something off, the more difficult it is to face later. It seemed like several minutes had passed by before Mikey decided to make his reappearance.

"Dude, you gotta try this! Usagi may be quiet and all, but he sure knows how to make a mean soup!" At the sound of Mikey's loud, cheerful voice, Donny jumped slightly in surprise and turned his head to look at the door.

The slight he was greeted with nearly caused him to choke on thin air like how a prostitute chokes on a... never mind. And speaking of prostitutes-

"For the love of everything scientific, _please_ let this be a dream," Donny muttered fervently to himself, causing Mikey to tilt his head questioningly as he sauntered over to his brother's bedside, carrying a bowl of steaming soup with him. However, it wasn't the _soup_ that had caught Donny's attention – it was the _frilly French maid outfit_ that Mikey was wearing.

Oh dear _gods_, why did Donny have to get punished like this? Was he finally going insane, or was this just some fever-induced hallucination?

"What was that, bro? I couldn't hear you that well," Mikey asked, setting the soup down on the bedside table. Donny swallowed nervously, coating his swollen throat with saliva as he opened his mouth to reply.

"I… N-Nothing," He closed his eyes, willing the image of Mikey in a maid costume away from his mind with every fiber of his being (as hot as it was – damn it, he did _not_ just think that). However, when he opened them, the result was even _worse _(or, in perverted terms, better) than before; this time, Mikey appeared in a naughty nurse's outfit.

'Good God… Why _me_?' Donny thought, looking helplessly up at the ceiling. Someone upstairs probably hated him right now, though he couldn't imagine why. He immediately vowed to never neglect his health ever again.

"Are you okay dude? Ya don't look so hot," Mikey remarked, worry coloring his tone as he leaned in and put a hand on Donny's warm forehead, which did nothing at all to cool the older turtle down.

If it weren't for his arms, which were chorded with thick muscles, Mikey looked as if he could've actually _pulled off_ the damn, spawned-from-some-kind-of-twisted-ecchi*-anime nurse outfit. That fact alone was enough to disturb and, erm 'interest' Donny at the same time.

'Stop drooling, you look like a damn pedophile right now,' his inner voice (that everyone seems to have) sneered. Horrified, Donny brought a hand up to the corner of his mouth, relieved to find that he _wasn't_ actually drooling. He was afraid to even blink now – who knows what other skimpy, perverted outfits his subconscious could conjure up?

"I-I'm fine! Really, I am!" Donny laughed (or more like coughed) reassuringly, sitting up from his lying position, although the sharp pain that now throbbed angrily in his forehead caused him to regret the sudden action. After gathering his wits about him, he carefully picked up the bowl of soup, which wasn't too hot to handle but was still warm, feeling a bit disoriented as he felt the room 'swaying' around him.

Donny looked down at the stew in his lap, trying to regain his sense of balance and resist the urge to vomit what little food was in his stomach. The broth was dark brown, and had the same consistency as chicken soup broth. Tender-looking potatoes, carrots and a bit of beef floated enticingly on the surface. Donny carefully lifted the spoon up to his mouth, finding that the soup tasted as good as it looked.

He quickly finished the meal and put it back on the bedside table, feeling the stew warming his entire body and calming his headache and nausea a bit in the process. Afterwards, he downed the two offered fever pills like a champ (we all know how much of a champ Donny is *wink wink* … yeah, _I_ didn't get the innuendo, either).

"Feeling better?" Mikey asked, taking the bowl and standing up. Donny nodded stiffly, not daring to look his younger brother in the eye – he would _never_ see a school girl uniform in the same way ever again.

"Yeah…" Donny covered his mouth to let out another rough cough, falling back onto the welcome warmth of the pillows. He closed his eyes so that he would not see the pleated, blue skirt of his twisted imagination swaying gently back and forth with every step that Mikey took as he left the room.

But maybe – and that was a _big_ maybe – he might've cracked an eye open to take a quick peek…

_Flashback, Twenty Minutes Earlier…_

"Y'know Usagi, I've been wonderin' 'bout somethin'…" Raph spoke, dicing a potato into bite-sized cubes with surprising skill. Usagi paused, his own knife half raised above a nearly-sliced carrot.

"What have you been wondering about, Raphael-san?" asked the rabbit politely.

"Well… this might be a stupid question ta ask all of a sudden, but why'd you come ta visit us in the first place?"

"…"

Raph finished cutting the potatoes and gathered them all up in a pile, ready to be thrown into the pot. He turned to his companion, whose back had suddenly gone stiff upon hearing his question.

"'Ey, U-Usagi? Did I say somethin' wrong…?" Raph, who had just realized that Usagi was completely frozen with a fearful look on his face, began to wave his hand in front of the rabbit's eyes in an attempt to get him out of his sudden funk. A wave of uneasiness washed over him when Usagi had yet to respond after five minutes. "Yer startin' ta scare me man!"

"_Raphael-san_," The red-masked turtle in question nearly shat himself when the previously-comatose-while-standing samurai suddenly clasped his shoulders with a frighteningly strong grip.

Usagi's eyes glinted eerily in the dim kitchen lights, causing a few shudders to creep up Raph's spine. "I will confess to you what I came here for if you swear on your honor and your life that you will not disclose what I am about to confide in you to anybody other than myself." Jeez… when did he find the time to _breathe_ through that sentence?

Raph just gulped a bit and nodded, not finding the courage to say anything at the moment. Normally, the red-masked turtle prided himself on his ability to remain unafraid of things that others would deem frightening. However, something in the way Usagi was looking at him told a completely different level of horrifying altogether, so he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut and not say anything contrary to what the samurai desired, like a good little boy.

As if a switch had been flipped, Usagi's expression turned back into its usual, polite yet carefully-masked demeanor. Raph mentally breathed a sigh of relief at this. In an unspoken agreement, the two began to prepare the soup whilst upholding their conversation.

"I am not going to be dishonest with you, Raphael-san, what I am about to reveal may cause you to be… well, disturbed," Beef chunks were thrown into the pot, aromatic steam wafting out as it began to sizzle in the oil.

"That's fine, man, I've probably heard worse before," After the beef had cooked and turned brown, the carrots and potatoes were added, softening nicely in the beef's natural juices.

"A-Are you certain that you want to hear it?" Soon, some kind of broth was thrown into the pot, along with a few spices and herbs to add more flavor.

"C'mon man, the suspense is killin' me," Raph and Usagi took turns stirring the stew, which was simmering in the pot and almost ready for consumption. Unbeknownst to them, a certain orange-masked turtle was currently heading their way, slowly sauntering past the living room and making his way to the kitchen…

"It seems that I have, uhm…" Raph held his breath with anticipation, his grip on the ladle becoming tighter. If it was making the samurai stutter _and_ blush, then it must be something big. "I-I… have recently developed romantic feelings for your older brother."

A few seconds of silence passed.

… Wait, what the f-

Raph's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, mouth gaping unattractively as he dropped the ladle in shock. Meanwhile, just outside of the kitchen*, Mikey began to experience something close to post-traumatic stress.

'Oh you've just gotta be (bleep)-ing kidding me.' the orange-masked turtle thought in agony. Why, oh why did this suddenly feel like a scene out of _Boys Over Flowers_*?

"W-Wait, say that again?" Raph asked incredulously, his voice a few octaves higher.

Usagi sighed miserably, looking very flustered. "I knew you would not react favorably, Raphael-san, I-I apologize-"

Raph frantically held up his hand, "N-No wait, I didn't mean it like that, I just… God, j-just give me a minute…" Looking quite shell-shocked (ha, no pun intended… okay, well, maybe a bit), the red-masked turtle walked out of the kitchen, not even noticing Mikey on his way.

Meanwhile, Mikey shook his head with disbelief, though he quickly molded his expression back to normal when he entered the kitchen.

"Mmm, that soup smells great!" the orange-masked turtle commented enthusiastically, his normal, care-free grin in place. Usagi smiled a bit, not used to being praised for his culinary skills, and didn't notice the slight strain on Mikey's expression.

Oh good lord, where was this crazy thing going to lead to?

* * *

Ending Note: Hm… I started earlier than usual on this chapter, but I still ended up procrastinating anyway. [Saddened]

On a brighter note, I have left you all with a slight cliffhanger – and just for a heads up, the next chapter is the last one!

Augh, I can't believe this story's coming to an end so soon! It was a good ride, but I think I'm ready to put this fic to rest for good – my inspiration for writing TMNT is slowly fading away, so I'm going to milk it in its last moments~

Right, then, the _real_ ending notes are here:

*Ecchi – Ecchi is a Japanese term that means "lewd" or "naughty", so an ecchi anime would be kind of like a slightly pornographic anime, at least, from my understanding. I've never watched ecchi (at least, not intentionally *cough*), so I'm afraid I can't elaborate further.

**However**, I advise you to not look up ecchi anime, or anything related to it for that matter, because for one, some websites that have those sort of things have harmful viruses (hey, if your computer crashes because you decided to disregard my warning, then I'm telling you right now that you can't place any blame on me). Second, it's highly inappropriate for anyone to be looking up that kind of thing, and being the outstanding role model that I am (errr), I would seriously advise you against not becoming a pervert (erm, that sounded better in my head, but um... OH YOU GET WHAT I MEAN... right?)

*Boys Over Flowers – This is a popular Korean drama that I watched when I was in 6th grade. Ahh, good times. Unfortunately, now that I look back on it, I have to admit that it was very cliché and at times unrealistic, but I still enjoyed it anyway. The reason why I had Mikey liken the current Raph/Leo/Usagi situation to it was because, well, there was a love triangle in it, and second, Usagi's sudden declaration was very sudden and unbelievable (though you have to admit, he and Leo are kind of canon in the cartoon series *cough*).

*Twat - That's a British term (at least, from what I've heard), usually used for insulting someone. I wouldn't recommend saying it in public, though, because it might really offend someone who knows what it means!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Owning TMNT and Young Justice would ultimately make me _the_ super-cool shizznit. Unfortunately, I'm just a super _geek_ who writes awful fanfiction and can't even run a whole lap around a parking lot without wheezing like a person having an asthma attack (which is sad because I don't have it). That being said, life sure is a cruel mistress.

**A/N: **[Sniffles] Holy hot horcruxes, Batman! This is the last chapter of this… slightly-less-than-decent story! Oh gods, did I just crack a "Holy [insert random word here], Batman!" joke? With a freaking _Harry Potter_ reference to boot? My nerdy soul is practically unsalvageable at this point… But, I digress. To all those who reviewed… I love you all.

I mean it.

… Okay, not in _that_ way, but still. My thanks are on the bottom of the page! Enjoy all the sappy fluff, guys!

* * *

Waking up, Donny registered several things at once. His eyes still burned and his head still ached, signifying that the fever had not gone away in his sleep like he hoped it would. He rubbed his tender limbs delicately, feeling the slickness of sweat beneath his palm as he ran it over his clammy skin.

_'How long was I out?'_

With a grimace, he struggled to sit up, rubbing the grit from his eyes. He held a hand over his mouth and puffed out a short breath, instantly regretting it when an awful smell hit his nose.

"_Phew!_ Nothing a good gargle of mouthwash won't fix, but still...!" If there was anything he hated the most, it was the unpleasantness of 'morning breath'. He threw his sinewy legs over the side of the bed and pressed his feet against the cool stone floor; it was a pleasant contrast from the burning temperature of his skin.

He hesitated for a moment, before finally standing up. He had the urge to flop back down on the bed almost immediately.

"Urgh..." he ground his teeth together, fighting the near-irrepressible urge to relive ever meal he'd ever eaten. Dark green spots swam in his vision, and it took a few moments for him to regain his sense of balance before he could walk without swaying like a drunkard.

'First priority, have an appointment with my toothbrush. Eating can wait.' he decided, stumbling on his way to the restroom. As he passed by the living room, a flash of bright colors caught the corner of his eye, followed by the sounds of tussling and main characters bickering to each other amidst a bunch of explosions. Someone's head rested against the couch, unmoving, seemingly engrossed in the show.

'Must be Mikey,' he thought, 'He's been looking forward to that Young Justice marathon all week long. What a dork.' A fond smile flitted across his face. 'Then again, who am_ I_ to talk?'

His smile grew wider when an unusually mischievous thought crossed his mind. Stalling his visit to the bathroom, he tip-toed quietly toward the couch, eyes fixed on the back of Mikey's head. His stance was akin to that of a feral jungle cat, prowling upon its unsuspecting prey.

Without hesitating, he pounced.

"_Boo_!"

"GAH! What the hell, Donny?" Hmmm. Either Mikey had suddenly developed an angrier, deeper voice with a Jersey accent, or he'd mistakenly attacked Raph instead.

"Oops!" Donny cringed, hastily crawling off of the red-masked turtle as he struggled to regain his composure.

"Gee Don, it's nice ta see ya too!" Raph spat out. "A 'hello' would'a been nice, but by all means!"

Donny looked so much like a kicked puppy that Raph expected him to start whimpering for forgiveness at any minute. "Sorry about that, Raph." A nervous chuckle. "I thought you were Mikey."

Raph raised an eye ridge. _Suspicious_. "What, did he steal those 'special comics' of yers again?"

"Yes. I mean, no- er, what?" Donny stammered, his voice going up an octave at 'what'.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Forget it." A semi-awkward silence occurred.

"So." Donny piped up, "I didn't know you liked this show."

"I don't." Raph grunted, but made no move to change the channel. There was another pause, before he spoke again. "How're ya feelin'?"

"I'm feeling a lot better now, but my head still hurts." Donny admitted, rubbing his temples to alleviate some of the ache. In the silence that followed, he noticed the frown and the sulky look in his brother's usual, fiery eyes. "What's wrong, Raph? Got into an argument with Leo again?" he questioned, voice laced with gentle sympathy.

At the mention of Leo's name, Raph's jaw clenched along with his fists, his eyes turning into chips of amber ice. "No. Nothin's goin' on between me an' him." he ground out, saying the word 'him' like it was a curse.

"Look, Raph, I'm no Dr. Phil, but there's obviously something going on with you two." he remarked, determined to not let the topic go. Once you got his interest aroused, there was no stopping Donatello from prying open every bit of information about the subject.

"I'm tellin' ya Don, nothin's happened with Leo." _Liar, _his mind chirped. Raph promptly ignored it. "Jus' drop it will ya?"

"No, I _won't_ drop it. Not until you tell me what's eating you!" Was Donny's vehement reply as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll sit here all day if I have to!"

Raph growled low in his throat. For a moment, he looked like he was going to explode and start shouting obscenities, but he thought better of it. Instead, he replied. "Is it the fever that's makin' ya feistier, Don? Bet Mikey _likes_ this side of ya."

"Oh please, stop trying to change the subject." Donny hissed, but the dark green blush on his face ruined the 'bad cop' effect. "_Talk_, or I'll find a way to rig the Shell Cycle's radio to play 'Barbie Girl' nonstop." At Raph's 'you _wouldn't_' look, Donny's brown eyes glinted as if to say 'I _would_'.

After a few more minutes of their intense stare-down, Raph eventually conceded.

"A'right a'right, I'll admit it." The red-masked turtle's gaze dropped down to his lap. If the situation wasn't so serious, Donny would have teased him. "There is... somethin' that's been _botherin'_ me lately." With each word he uttered, Raph's wince grew more and more pronounced, as if it were causing him physical pain to say whatever troubled thought was on his mind.

'Is it really true?' Donny wondered, staring wide-eyed at Raph. 'Did Mikey and I actually make the correct assumption?' Another wave of nausea assaulted him, but Donny was way too eager to pay it any mind. _This_ was the moment of truth.

"Do ya know the feelin' when..." Raph paused, searching for a word to eloquently describe this 'feeling'. "... when you really wanna _beat the shit_ outta someone?"

Donny blinked. Well. He certainly wasn't expecting_ that_. 'So much for admitting his undying love!'

At Donny's incredulous look, Raph let out a low chuckle. "Yeah. Well, I was kinda in denial 'bout it at first, but... I know jealousy when I feel it."

Instantly, Donny perked up again. "Oh. _Oh!_ I'm guessing Usagi decided to confide in you, huh?" The genius resisted the urge to laugh at Raph's surprised expression. "Come on Raph, even _you_ could sense something was going on there, right?"

The red-masked turtle only tipped his head slightly in a terse nod, staring at the TV screen to avoid Donny's eyes. The latter shot him a smile. "You know you don't have to hide anything from me, Raph. It's not like you could, anyway. To be honest, I'm... kind of surprised that you admitted it so easily."

"So am I," Raph admitted, fingering the handles of his sai. "I guess I knew it all along. No matter how hard I tried to deny it or pretend that the feelin' didn't exist, it was jus' always _there_."

Donny nodded, feeling a twinge of pride at his older brother's show of calmness. Despite the heavy nature of the situation, Raph didn't let his frustration and stubborn pride get the best of him. Again, don't count your chickens before they hatch, as Donny was soon to find out.

"Guess I'll just go ahead an' say it, then. I'm definitely attracted to Mr. Stick Up His Ass." Raph said simply, trying to not let his nervousness show. The words hung in the air for a while, tinging the atmosphere with an almost 'ground-breaking' feeling.

Donny grinned. "Wow. Mikey's gonna have a field day with this one! In fact, I think_ I'm_ having one right now!"

"The hell's that supposed ta mean?" Raph blurted out. "Are ya tellin' me that you and that idiot _knew_?"

"Of course," Donny answered breezily. "I've gotta hand it to Mikey, though, he was the one who confronted Leo about it first. It took me by surprise when I walked in on them!"

By now, Raph couldn't help but gape. "Ya gotta be _kiddin'_ me!"

"I kid you not, brother." Donny deadpanned, face set in a serious expression.

"No wonder ya guys were actin' weird." Raph mused out loud, shaking his head. "All that dramatic shit could'a been avoided..."

"Well, what's past is past." Donny shrugged, then snapped back into 'commander' mode. "You should really tell him, you know." It wasn't a suggestion. It was an _order._

Raph's demeanor changed instantly. An inevitable reaction. "Hell no!"

"Why not?" Donny exclaimed, a hint of a whine in his tone. "C'mon Raph! You and Leo really need this!"

"In case ya haven't noticed, Donny, there's somethin' that's standin' in the way of 'this'. A somethin' that happens to have cute bunny ears and a better personality." Raph snapped, stifling the urge to throw his hands up.

"Now you're just making excuses." Donny pointed out, his jaw rigid. "The threat of the 'Barbie Girl' song still stands, Raph."

"Go 'head and do whatever ya want, Don. I'm still not tellin' him." And that was the end of it.

Donny held in a shout of frustration. "Fine. I doubt I can get through to that thick skull of yours anyway." With that parting barb, the genius stood and plodded to the bathroom, murmuring grouchily under his breath all the way there.

'Sheesh. Sometimes, he's worse than Le-' Raph cut himself off mid-thought with a small grimace. The last thing he wanted to think about was that blue-masked tight ass. Which he happened to be attracted to. 'Ahhhh ta hell with it! Might as well take a nap before patrol t'night.' he decided. Letting out a hard exhale, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Oh my gawd! Is that the new episode of Young Justice?"

Raph's eyes snapped open as a familiar voice reached his ears. Damn you wishful thinking!

"It_ is_! Oh man, bro, why didn't you tell me?" Mikey whined, plopping himself down beside the red-masked turtle.

The latter held back a groan. "Would it kill ya to be _quiet_ for once?" he hissed, glaring at his younger brother with narrowed amber eyes.

"Quiet? What's that?" If possible, Mikey's grin grew wider as Raph's glare grew more irritated. "I see you're looking as cheerful as ever, _mi hermano_! Did you and Leo get to 'bond' today?" The orange-masked turtle's sarcastic tone obviously indicated that 'bond' equaled to 'have a nasty shitstorm of an argument'.

"Jeez, first Donny and now you. I'm gettin' sick of hearin' that." At Mikey's confused stare, Raph waved his hand dismissively. "Speakin' of, our resident smart ass told me that ya had _suspicions_."

"You bet I do, bro!" Mikey chirped, eyes never leaving the TV screen as he somehow find a way to have the conversation as well as delve into the show. "Y'know, you and Leo really remind me of Robin and KF."

"Oh really? Wonder how." Raph's voice was thick with sarcasm, but on the inside he couldn't help but grow curious. What was his weird little brother going on about now?

"Well, for starters, they have about the same amount of UST between them as you do with Leo-kins."

Raph found himself choking on air, althought whether it was from the "UST" bit or the "Leo-kins" bit, he didn't know. "What 'n the flying fuck are ya talkin' about-"

"Okay, maybe you and Leo have a bit _more,_ but the similarities are still there! For one, there's the jealousy with the 'competition' and everything, and then there's..." The scariest part, Raph decided, was that he sounded _utterly_ serious about the whole thing.

"_You_," Raph started, putting extra emphasis on the word, "really have some_ problems_-"

"Oh the perils of young love! Especially hard considering you're a_ tsundere_~!" Now Mikey was in 'theatrics' mode, making grandiose hand gestures along with his words.

Raph twitched and grasped the handles of his sai. "Mikey, unless you want a really sharp object stuck up your-"

"Condoms*!" Mikey burst out, apparently unfazed and giddy as a clown on happy pills. "Make sure you have plenty, 'cause you're gonna need 'em!"

Raph didn't need to hear anymore. Mikey barely had a second to yelp before the red-masked turtle suddenly snarled and lunged at him.

* * *

Mikey could barely hold in his giggles when Raph gave him another scathing glare. He wished he could replay that fateful moment in front of the TV and relive it again, but alas, it was not to be. Honestly, he didn't know _what_ had possessed him to do that. It was a miracle that he made it out of that situation alive.

"Did something unfortunate happen to you Raphael-san?" Usagi inquired, staring at Raph's clenched fists and furrowed 'brows'. The samurai was patrolling with them to fill Donny's absence.

"Guess you could say that." The red-masked turtle groused, but gave no sign of elaborating. Usagi directed his questioning glance to Leo, who shrugged.

"Let's split up." the blue-masked turtle suggested, falling into the role of leader with ease. Now he had an opportunity to talk with Raph alone, without any interruptions. Or at least, he _hoped_ there would be no interruptions, but the city seemed safer and quieter than usual.

After a lot of deliberating and sleepless nights, he had finally decided to confess his feelings to Raph. Given their turbulent history and the fact that Leo's newly-realized feelings had probably played a subconscious role in it, he figured that letting his true feelings out would help more than hurt. "Mikey, you can go with Usagi and I'll-"

"Actually, I think I'd rather go with Raph this time!" Mikey interrupted with an eerily bright grin, and slung an arm around Raph's shoulders. He was met with stunned silence, so he went on, "No offense to Usagi or anything, but me and Raphy-boy here wanted to, um, have a rousing debate over the latest issue of Young Avengers!" The lie rolled smoothly off of Mikey's tongue, his gleeful expression not cracking in the slightest.

Before Leo could even question Raph's sudden interest in comic books (even though he knew that it was probably a crock of BS), Mikey dragged Raph away with a speed that could put Sonic the Hedgehog to shame, leaving him alone with Usagi. A momentary silence descended upon the remaining two.

"That was... strange." Usagi mused out loud, turning to him with a weirded-out expression. Leo only hummed distractedly in reply. On the inside, he was frustrated. Mikey was supposed to be on _his_ side! He was the one who had encouraged him to realize his feelings for Raph in the first place. Leo had obviously been trying to get himself alone with Raph to confess those very same feelings, so why in the world did Mikey rob him of his opportunity?

"Leonardo-san?" At Usagi's soft, inquiring voice, Leo snapped out of his thoughts and chuckled sheepishly, embarrassed by his absent-mindedness.

"Sorry Usagi, I was just thinking about something." he apologized, resisting the urge to let out a sigh. "We should probably patrol the secluded area near the park and- mmmmph!" was Leo's stunned, muffled exclamation when Usagi quickly grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close, making their lips crash clumsily against each other in an awkward kiss.

Usagi tried to gauge his friend's reaction, and let out a disappointed sigh as he pulled away from the unresponsive turtle, who was as stiff as a board. "Well, now I truly know that pursuing a relationship with you would be futile." The samurai cracked a small, sad smile, backing away from Leo.

"..." The blue-masked turtle stared, wide-eyed, at his best friend.

Right now, he was just a tad shocked.

And by a tad, he meant _immensely_.

Leo opened his mouth to say something, anything, to break the tense silence, but none of the right words came to mind.

"Do not worry, Leonardo-san, my feelings for you may still be here, but I do not expect you to reciprocate them. I would like it if our friendship does not change because of... this." Both of them blushed, one light pink while the other dark green, when he said 'this'.

Leo finally snapped out of his momentary shock and faced the samurai, not at all uncomfortable (well, alright, maybe a _little_ bit) by the previous events. It wasn't as if he was going to angst over the sudden (and his first, Leo thought begrudgingly) kiss, and besides, he and Usagi were best friends; one little, er, incident wasn't enough to ruin their friendship.

"I'd... like that." Leo agreed, an awkward smile pulling at the corners of his lips. It would take a little while for things to completely go back to normal between them, but for now, neither of them cared. Just as long as they never mentioned it again...

* * *

"Mikey, if you don't let go of me-"

"I know I know... you'll castrate me with your oversized fork!" Mikey gleefully finished the sentence for him, elliciting a low, irritated growl from Raph.

"W-Why the hell did you even... You were supposed to go with Usagi!" Raph pointed out, sounding as frustrated as he looked. Mikey couldn't hold his gleeful smirk back any longer.

"Oh~? Do I detect a hint of jealousy there, Raphy-boy?" Mikey purred (freakin'_ purred, _Raph noted with disbelief), causing Raph to snort in a bemused manner, but the red-masked turtle didn't actually say anything in reply.

Okay, he _was_ jealous, he wasn't going to lie. He wouldn't give Mikey the satisfaction of hearing it out loud, though. Unfortunately, Mikey wasn't that easy to shake off. "I take your silence as a yes! Oh you poor thing!" Mikey cooed, sounding convincingly like a doting mother comforting her child, which kind of disturbed Raph.

"... Shut up and help me patrol, would ya?" Raph murmured, glaring daggers at his younger brother and walking past him.

Mikey, unaffected by the threat in his voice, fell into step beside him and cheerfully hummed a random tune, which sounded suspiciously like _Milkshake_*, under his breath. 'Usagi deserves some closure, too.' he thought.

Raph barely held back a groan this time, unaware of Mikey's ulterior motives to snatching him away. Tonight was going to be a _very_ long night.

* * *

Donny stared up at the ceiling of his room, his fingers twitching with the urge to type on the keyboard. He turned to stare longingly at his beloved computer, but shook his head. No, no, he couldn't give in to his temptation. He needed to _rest. _

He turned away from the object of his desire, letting out a pitiful groan, which turned into an extremely sickly cough. Well, at least his mouth didn't taste like shit anymore.

'I wonder if they're back from patrol yet,' he mused, resting his head on his arm as he stared up at his ceiling again, finding nothing better do. Honestly, he couldn't sleep; even though he tried his hardest not to, he was still thinking about his earlier, erm, 'predicament' regarding Mikey and that maid outfit.

He hoped that he would never have to hear the words 'Mikey' and 'maid outfit' uttered in the same sentence. Ever.

"Hey bro, we're back!" A familiar, cheerful voice reached his ears* from the doorway. Speak of the devil. Or, in this case, _think_ of him.

Donny barely had time to blink before he was being straddled by the orange-masked turtle. It took a moment for him to register this... compromising position and, when he did, a dark green blush splashed across his cheeks.

"E-Er, I take it the patrol went well?" he stammered lamely, inching away from Mikey's face as inconspicuously as he could.

"Yep! Not a perp in sight!" Mikey chirped in reply, leaning in closer to Donny's face, mere centimeters away to be exact.

Donny gulped nervously, hyperaware of his younger brother's warm body on top of his. He tensed when Mikey's strikingly blue eyes gazed searchingly into his own dark brown ones, and couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved by the intensity with which he did it.

"Donny..." Mikey whispered after a loaded silence, his hand reaching out to stroke the genius's cheek. Donny felt his heart hammering rapidly in his chest. Oh dear God this had to be a dream-

"I don't want us to end up like Leo and Raph, hiding our true feelings and all of that dramatic shite." Donny cracked an amused smile at that, and Mikey continued. "So when I kiss you don't freak out, okay?"

Without hesitating, Mikey leaned in eagerly to close the short distance between them, but just as he was about to, Donny put a hand up to stop him.

"W-Wait!" Donny's face could have put a spinach leaf to shame right now. Mikey raised an eye ridge and drew back, confusion and a slight hint of fear flickering across his face.

Donny took a deep, shaky breath, before stuttering out a hasty explanation. "That probably wouldn't be a good idea considering the amount of germs that are residing in my mouth right now, I mean, you could get sick too* and it would be all my fault so maybe you should do it later." he squeaked out that last part, his face now reaching the boiling point.

Mikey just blinked and stared at Donny with blank eyes. The genius could only stare back, waiting to see what his reaction would be, and was surprised when the orange-masked turtle burst into obnoxious fits of laughter.

"Mikey, I'm being serious!" Donny chided, his voice radiating exasperation. Of course, that did nothing to quell Mikey's sudden hilarity, and it took a moment for the younger turtle to compose himself enough to say anything.

"Donny. I appreciate your concern, but, honestly? I could care less." And with that giddy claim, Mikey mashed their lips together before Donny could stop him again.

And, as Donny felt Mikey's tongue softly caressing his bottom lip, he was glad that he decided to use that mouthwash earlier.

* * *

Raph paced restlessly in front of the TV, which was still turned on despite the fact that he wasn't paying any attention to it whatsoever. He had tried to distract himself with it earlier, but that attempt proved to be futile.

Millions of thoughts raced across his mind. Did Usagi confess to Leo? Did Leo feel the same way? Were they already in a relationship? _Was he just jumping to radical conclusions?_

'God this is driving me crazy!' he thought, rubbing his temples to prevent an on-coming migraine. And why the hell weren't they back yet? What was taking them so long?

Raph wished he hadn't thought that question, because a plethora of scenarios began to play out in his head, and it was getting increasingly harder and harder for him to resist punching a crater into the wall.

'Click.' The soft sound caused Raph to perk up, and the door to the lair slid open with a rusty hum. To his surprise, Leo walked in alone.

His fists tightened as he took a closer look and saw Leo's dark green blush. The weather outside was normal, neither too humid nor too cold, so there could only be one reason why he would look like that.

"Where's Usagi?" Raph bit out, trying to keep the anger out of his voice and not knowing whether it worked or not.

Leo blinked, as if snapping out of a trance, and answered, "Oh, he-he went back to his own universe. He told me to tell say goodbye to you guys for him and sorry that he couldn't stick around." Raph's eyes narrowed suspiciously. The older turtle's voice sounded too cautious, too... nervous. He rarely showed those emotions, if ever.

There it was, the dreaded awkward silence. Tons of questions were on the tip of Raph's tongue, but his mouth seemed unwilling to move.

'I can't back away now,' Gritting his teeth, Raph finally got himself to talk.

"Leo, I need to tell you-"

"Raph, there's something I have to-"

They both stopped at the same time, blinking incredulously at each other. Leo let out an awkward chuckle; Raph scratched the back of his head and averted his older brother's eyes.

Leo cleared his throat, "You go first."

Raph shook his head, looking slightly nauseous. "No, I can't-" he blurted, turning to walk away. He didn't get very far before he felt a hand gripped firmly around his wrist.

"Raph, don't you dare walk away from me." Leo's voice held an assertive tone, one that sent shivers down Raph's spine. The red-masked turtle turned around, but stubbornly kept his mouth shut. He didn't look at Leo's face.

Leo cocked his head to the side, pinning Raph with a curious and determined look. "If you're about to say what I think you're about to say..." he started, hesitating slightly before finally saying what he needed to say all this time. "Then I feel the same way, too."

Just like that, Raph felt his breath hitch in his throat. For a second, he was frozen, amber eyes finally meeting Leo's dark brown ones. He searched for any signs of amusement, any indication that Leo was just kidding around with him for the heck of it and that it was all just a sadistic joke, but the look in Leo's eyes betrayed nothing but fear, hope and... and...

Raph let out a harsh breath of disbelief. Without saying anything, he wrapped his arms around Leo, pulling him in for a warm embrace.

"We... We've been idiots, haven't we?" Leo laughed once he got over the initial surprise, draping his own arms over Raph's shoulders and circling around his neck.

His eyes weren't scared anymore. They were glowing with something, something that made Raph's pulse quicken and butterflies to flutter in his stomach, cliche as it sounded.

"For once, Mikey was right." Raph scoffed, before burying his face into Leo's shoulder. He felt the older turtle's chest rumbling with quiet laughter.

The two stayed like that for quite a while, until they finally pulled away from each other, but didn't break their hold. Their eyes met again. Leo was the first one to break the silence.

"Raph, I just want you to know that all this time, I never meant to-"

"I know, Leo. Me neither." Leo smiled at him, a genuine, honest-to-God smile that made Raph's insides tingle helplessly. Oh dear lord, he was seriously considering doing_ that_ right now.

Leo made a startled noise in the back of his throat when Raph gently grasped both sides of his head, but relaxed once he realized what was about to happen.

_Just a little closer..._

_'Thwack!'_

Leo hissed, drawing back from Raph as he felt a sudden, searing pain in his forehead.

"OW! Holy mother...!" Apparently, Raph had suffered the same fate too. Instantly, the two turned to glare at their attacker, until they saw who it was.

It was Master Splinter. And he looked _pissed_.

_Oh... sh-_

"Master Splinter! Uh, you see... w-we can explain!" Leo exclaimed hastily, eyes comically wide.

"You better have a good explanation for this, Leonardo, Raphael." Master Splinter hissed sharply, glaring sternly at each of them in turn.

An unbearable silence filled the room for one, agonizing moment. Leo opened his mouth, set on salvaging the situation before it turned ugly, and Raph was glaring back at Splinter, looking as if he was about to give the old rat a piece of his mind.

Before either of them could get a word out, the ninjutsu master surprised them with a small, mischievous smile.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you both to realize it," Now it was time for the two of them to gape. What the _hell? _

_"However,"_ His sharp, scornful look returned, making Leo and Raph tense again. "As your father, I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to, er, breach that level of your relationship just yet." Splinter ended that statement with an awkward cough, staring pointedly at their current position.

With embarrassed murmurs, the newly-formed couple reluctantly separated from each other. With a pleased nod, Splinter turned and made a bee-line for his room. Before he went, however, he turned around abruptly and smiled at Leo. "You have made the right choice, my son. I am proud of you." Leo blinked at him with surprise as he left, and suddenly, it clicked.

'That one time when we talked... he already knew!' The phrase 'that sneaky rat!' came to mind, but, being the respectful son Leo was, he halted that train of thought completely.

"Whats'a matter, Leo? Are ya that surprised? I mean, he watches those soap operas all the time..." Raph ended the statement with an awkward chuckle. Oh, this whole 'dating your older brother' thing was going to take quite some time to get used to.

"Well, we could... finish what we started, in my room." Leo murmured shyly, and Raph was almost tempted to pounce on him right then and there.

"What Master Splinter doesn't know won't hurt 'im." Raph replied playfully, before grabbing Leo's hand and dragging him to his room.

All that time, they were unaware of a pair of eyes staring at them from behind the couch. They were also unaware of the snickers and the high-five that was exchanged between the two figures, but then again, perhaps that was for the best.

Mikey always _knew_ that there was sexual tension between those two.

* * *

**A/N: **I am an awful, awful person. I take_ forever_ on this last chapter, making up every excuse in the book for its huge delay, and then I make the ending all happy and cheesy and sickeningly lovey-dovey to the point of cavity-inducing?

Please slap me. I beg you.

Feel free to leave a review - I'll respond through PM! Your opinions on the story, good or bad, are always valued. I would like constructive criticism, if you can spare the time, so that I can work on my writing a little more... I'd really like to know how I did!

**Edit, 7/29/11:** I revised the whole first part and some of the second part because I wasn't too happy with it. Hopefully it improved instead of declined in quality D:

Anyway, here's the final set of references for you guys:

*Mi hermano - For those of you who don't know, this means 'my brother' in Spanish.

*Condoms - I trust you guys are old enough to know what these are, right? If you don't then you're not even supposed to be here... and don't go Googling it, either!

*Leonardo-san - I absolutely have no clue how Usagi addresses him! I mean, they're friends, so I would've thought that he called him "Leonardo-kun" or something, but that just doesn't sound like Usagi xD Ehhh, well, I don't claim to know much about the Japanese language/customs so NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS...

*Milkshake - [La la, la la, la. Warm it up. La la, la la, la. The boys are waiting~] Yes. _That_ Milkshake. Am I the only one who finds Mikey humming that _totally adorable_? :D

*Ears - Turtles have ears... you just can't see them. If you knew that already, again, I'm not trying to insult your intelligence, I'm just trying to provide background knowledge for those who don't! xD

*Fever - I'm an idiot when it comes to anything that has to do with sicknesses and stuff... so, as stupid as it sounds, I don't know whether you can contract a fever from someone. For convenience's sake, let's just say that it _is_ contagious, even if it _isn't_ [sweatdrop]

And here are the last special thanks:

**Odd warning **In hindsight, I'm starting to think that I probably sounded drunk when I typed that. I apologize for the oddness of the warning of which you penned your review after; I'm a person who just can't put their feelings eloquently into words, so… whoops? Anyway, thanks for reading, I appreciate the rather… thoughtful review!

**RavynandRika yami's lovers **Uke Raph, to some people, is an unheard of thought, so I'm glad you think the same way about it as I do :) As for the sudden twist, I'm glad you think it's nice :D Ooh thank you so much, you're too kind! ^_^ Oh and, I've been meaning to ask you this, but… does the "yami" in your username refer to the guy from Yu-Gi-Oh? xD I've always wanted to ask, but I never found the right time to do so!

**Morfanerina **It's always nice hearing from you, it brings a smile to my face every time I read your positive comments! :D Ah yes, this fic is finally going to be officially laid to rest by the end of this page… again, thank you for sticking with this story till the end! Sorry I made you wait so long for this chapter!

**cndrow** Wow, thank you so very much for those awesome, encouraging comments! Hopefully, the humor in this final chapter won't fail you!

**Angel **Er… I'll take 'weird' as a compliment, since I'm called 'weird' a lot, and I'm proud of it! :D May I enquire as to what "ass slap" means in the context of your review, though? I mean, I know it's a curse word, but… I wonder why you included that particular one, out of all the cuss words you must know… Okay moving on!

**Reenie Bleenie **D'aw, how on Earth did I get one of the best reviewers ever? I'm as happy as a clam knowing that I made you laugh! Yup, I know that lesson already, buddy – I learned it the hard way, like you probably did xD Fast? Are you kidding me? I'm as slow as a turtle when it comes to updating, and I always have lame excuses! xD But thank you for saying that; it gives me more confidence knowing that at least one person thinks that my chapters are good… and fast ^^ Oh, and thanks for the pointers! I'll certainly keep your words of wisdom in mind! And _another _thank you for being a loyal reviewer person! [Deep breath] One can never give too much gratitude! :D

**Lunar Lotis **Yeah, I think bunnies are adorable, especially this particular bunny xD Thank you very much for your awesome, kind words – I hope you enjoyed reading the final chapter!

**Nai Kanso **I wonder the same thing, too! Though I've never heard about that ninja-samurai thing before; now I've learned something new xD Eh, I know, it _is_ turning out to be cheesy and dramatic isn't it? D: I promised myself I wouldn't delve into it like that, but stories have a mind of their own! Well, at least _mine_ do! Thank you for the insightful review, I hope you enjoyed this last chapter.

**paga14 **Gee father, thanks for the um… _lovely_ comment. Hopefully you won't scare the innocent, young people away with your creepy tendencies [cough]

**oChaoticDarlingo**Whoa there! Please don't hurt me; I apologize for taking so long! [Whimpers] Ahhh, cowardly act aside, I'm glad I made you giggle! And about that last sentence… That's _very_ true xD Hope you enjoyed this last chapter!

**AlePh27 **Why thank you, my dear reviewer, for the lovely comment! I'm never gotten a comment on my tone before, I wasn't even aware I had one!

**Angel (the recent one!) **It's okay man; _I'm_ the one who should be sorry for leaving you hanging! Hope I didn't disappoint with this final piece, thank you for the reviews you've given me!


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